The Longest Winter
by DevDev
Summary: Winter had done nothing but depress Kendall and she could not wait for it to be gone... Zendall fic with Kaidan friendship. July 2nd update!
1. Chapter 1

**A/N:I don't own All My Children or the characters used in this fic. **

**Chapter One**

The day dawned bright with sunshine and if one looked toward a window, they might assume the day was warm. But, although it was March, Pine Valley might has well have been in the midst of December. Kendall Hart-Slater pressed her palm against one of the windows in her condo, hoping for warmth instead of cold, but did not receive her wish. The cold temperature spread from her palm all the way to her fingertips and she pulled away disappointedly. It was a stupid hope, as a snowstorm had blown through the town only the night before. But she had tried to pretend, just for a second, that the warmth of spring had finally arrived.

Winter had done nothing but depress Kendall and she could not wait for it to be gone. With a childish perspective she honestly believed that when winter was over everything might feel better. Once the coldness and the darkness of winter was gone and the sunlight and warmness of spring prevailed, the pain of winter would flee.

As Kendall moved away from the window, she felt the 7th month old baby she was carrying kick. Rubbing a hand softly over her protruding belly, she sighed softly. Greenlee and Ryan's baby had impacted her life in a huge way. Kendall had been confirmed pregnant in the beginning of September and Greenlee couldn't have been more thrilled with the idea of her baby finally being born. They hadn't told anyone for a while and David, Simone and Dr. Madden had kept true to their word. No one in Pine Valley knew what was going on unless one counted those three. But, all good things cannot last forever and in the beginning of October (also Kendall's second month being pregnant), Ryan Lavery returned to town with two of his siblings in tow.

Nothing other than shit hit the fan and the entire town of Pine Valley was devastated with the news of Ryan faking his death. No one other than Greenlee was more distraught over the turn of events. Promptly moving out and away from Ryan and into Kendall's condo seemed like the only right thing to do, for the only thing keeping Greenlee in town was the child Kendall now carried. More than ever, Greenlee wanted the pregnancy to remain a secret and more importantly, she wanted her baby away from Ryan and his siblings. So, another person had to be let in on Greenlee and Kendall's little secret: Zach Slater. While Kendall and Zach weren't on the best of terms at that moment because of his helping of Ryan's 'death' and her aversion to him helping Julia, Kendall and Greenlee agreed he was their last hope.TThe plan, according to Zach's willingness to partake, was to pretend that Zach and Kendall had conceived the child Kendall carried. Most shocking was not Zach's willingness to go along with the little plan, but was the fact that Zach already knew she was pregnant with Ryan and Greenlee's child. So, everything was fixed and set into motion. Of course, the town of Pine Valley was hit with several small earthquakes when Erica Kane heard the news, but for the most part, everything was smooth sailing. (Well, except for that pesky morning sickness and countless hours of nausea.)Except, nothing was smooth after one oddly warm day in December. Greenlee and Kendall had decided to go Christmas shopping and since it was warm and sunny, the day had been perfect. Snow was melting everywhere, but Kendall and Greenlee had grabbed some snow boots and waved cheerfully goodbye to Zach as they set off. After shopping for hours, picking out hundreds of gifts in the process, the girls finally decided to call it a day. Their arms were loaded with packages, but Greenlee carried most because of Kendall's excuse of pregnancy. They set out for the car, with only a short squabble as to where the keys for Greenlee's car were. Kendall was at the car's passenger side with Greenlee lagging a bit behind due to the weight of the shopping bags and various packages, when a screeching of tires could be heard.In what seemed like slow motion, Greenlee lost her footing on a patch of leftover snow and fell to the ground. Just as Kendall was about to rush over to her, the screeching of tires came closer. She had screamed Greenlee's name, telling her to forget the bags and just get up, but it had been too late. A car came around the bend of the parking lot and had hit Greenlee directly.Kendall didn't remember all too much from that day, but there was one image that would never escape from her mind: the blood that seeped all around the two of them while Greenlee died in Kendall's arms.Months following, Kendall blamed herself one hundred percent for that day. Because, that's what had happened, Greenlee had died that day and all because of Kendall. If she had only taken one more package to hurry Greenlee along, if only she had been the one in the middle of the parking garage, if only she had yelled sooner. Although, in reality it was not Kendall's fault, she still felt everything that had happened that day was her fault. Later, when she was at the hospital, she had felt the baby move for the first time and it was then that she was finally able to break down.So there she sat, in her condo on another wintry day wishing for a nice, warm spring day. Or well, she really wished Greenlee would come back and be the spring day she was looking for, but Kendall knew that would never happen again. After Greenlee's death, Zach and Kendall had agreed to keep up the act Greenlee had wanted all along. As long as he lived, Ryan would never know of his child.Kendall sighed again and got up from her couch. Every last bit of her felt full of energy, but at the same time, she was content with just sitting around doing nothing. She wondered briefly where Zach was before remembering that Zach was gone doing some more stuff for the casinos. Or, maybe he was just doing more 'Saint Julia' crap. Since Kendall had no other friends left in town besides him, she was feeling rather bored. She rubbed her back, trying to iron out the constant pain that had resided there, but it was no use. Sighing again, she walked the short distance to her bedroom and flung herself onto her unmade bed. Just as she was about to drift off to sleep, she heard a knock at her front door.With a groan, Kendall hoisted herself off the bed with great effort. Another knock sounded and she irritably yelled, "I'm coming! Hold your horses, would you?" She waddled through her living room and flung open the front door without looking. Yes, it was a stupid move, but who looks before answering a door in the town of Pine Valley?"Hello Kendall."Jonathan Lavery was in Kendall's doorway and he was not looking much better than he had his first round in Pine Valley. A beard was in the process of growing, due to lack of a shave while his hair was just as unkempt. His dark eyes glared into her light ones and without words, Kendall could tell he wasn't as changed as Ryan had often preached. If what Ryan said had been true, Jonathan Lavery had been through several medical treatments. He had supposedly also seen many psychiatrists, but now that he was standing before Kendall with the same look he had used on his first round through town, she was sure he hadn't seen anyone professional. If he had seen anyone professional, they hadn't worked.Before she could stop him, he forced his way into her living room and stood in front of the couch she had recently been lying on. She kept the door open, even though the outside air was frigid and had already seeped into her living quarters. Trying to remain calm, Kendall said, "Please leave.""Oh, but Kendall… I've brought a gift. You see, I've come to wish you congratulations on your dear child." He inched closer with his words and because Kendall was backed against the wall nearest to her still opened door, he was able to place a hand on her pregnant belly. Chills shot up and down Kendall's spine. Even though she knew it was a mistake, she went to push Jonathan away from her but he grabbed her wrists before she could inflict any sort of blow upon him. "Not so fast! You were such a feisty one in bed. I'm glad it's carried over even in your delicate position." Without a moment of hesitation, Kendall kneed Jonathan so quickly and with such force, he promptly released his strong hold on her.In a blink of an eye, Kendall raced for the open door and succeeded in escaping, but only just for that moment. Jonathan tore after her, all the while calling her several profanities that were not unknown to Kendall. She might have had the chance to get away from the maniac, but Kendall was seven months pregnant and running was no easy feat when her stomach seemed to stretch beyond oblivion. Of course, the freshly piled snow didn't make her escape any easier. In fact, the snow made her escape absolutely futile; for the second her bare feet hit the snow, she slipped. If it hadn't been for the columns inside the tiny courtyard separating herself and Zach's condo, she might have fallen to the cobble- stoned ground.Jonathan reached her and cursed her yet again. He grabbed her around her once perfectly fit waist, but Kendall gripped the column with all her strength and would not let Jonathan rip her away from the pillar. "Let go, you whore!"Kendall screamed then. She screamed so loudly, she hoped anyone might hear her. As she had anticipated, Jonathan clapped a hand over her mouth and unsuccessfully tried to pull her away from the column once again. This time, instead of sending a swift kick his way, Kendall bit hard into his hand and continued her screaming. "You bitch!" This time he clapped his hand across her face and her head snapped back from the force of it. Dejectedly, she let go of the pillar and slumped to the wet snow. Just as Jonathan was about to grab her again, sounds of gunfire rang through the courtyard.Kendall didn't know what was going on, but she was smart enough to assume that those gunshots were not in anyway protecting her from any kind of danger. Why, if anyone had wanted to rescue her from the madman that was now gripping her arms almost painfully, they would have walked closer and made sure she wasn't in the line of fire! If Jonathan Lavery hadn't been standing where he had, Kendall Hart-Slater's life and the child she was carrying would have been finished for eternity.Jonathan slumped over Kendall's body and for a moment, she thought he was protecting her. But as she felt his lifeless weight hold her down and the warm flow of a liquid gush onto her, she knew he was not protecting her. For the second time in Kendall's life, she held onto a person as they died. In this case, she wasn't overly sad that he was dead, but the situation was traumatizing all the same. Jonathan's blood was seeping onto her and all around her. More than anything, Kendall wanted to move and get away from the gore and the constant gunfire around her, but Jonathan was too heavy and she could not move an inch. After he drew his final breath and then shuddered, Kendall knew he was dead. Jonathan Lavery was dead; and he was lying on top of her. She struggled again, doing anything to get the dead body off of her, but nothing worked. Being in the position that she was, curled in a ball on her side, nothing she could've done would have worked to her advantage. Tears soaked her cheeks and fear flooded throughout her body as gunshots continued to go off. When Jonathan's lifeless, bloody hand flung into her face, she did something that she had never done before in her entire life: she fainted.The gunshots were unrelenting, but Kendall was oblivious. She didn't know how long the gunfire continued nor did she know that various windows throughout the courtyard shattered due to the bullets. The freezing snow spread wetness through her clothing and if it weren't for the body and the warm blood from the now deceased Jonathan, she might have frozen. When the gunfire ceased, a slight snow began to fall and if anyone had passed the two fallen bodies, they might only see the one bleeding, dead body and not notice the pregnant woman lying beneath him.

TBC….


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Nope, I don't own All My Children or any of the characters I've used in this fic.**

**Much thanks to Raerae21, jbr12476, gidget89, lorilann, svufanatic1234, dre123, and May-Lial. You're reviews mean the world to me and without them this chapter wouldn't be possible. Merci beaucoup!**

* * *

For someone to say Zach Slater was a very busy man was very much an understatement. Not only was he busy running a chain of casinos and looking after his pregnant wife's own business, he was also posing as the father to an unborn baby that had no relation to him except that the child was currently being carried by his wife, whom he had married for business and not for love. Zach was also hiding a runaway from the witness protection program and also from the mob boss that was after her. And on top of all those things, the person he was hiding just happened to be the sister of the woman he had once loved.

Maria, or Maureen as he had known her, had once been considered the love of his life. But, reality had ended that fallacy, and he now knew what they had shared wasn't true love. Helping Julia had simply been something Zach needed to do. There had been no question when he realized she was Julia **Santos**, Maria's sister. It had nothing to do with the fact that in a certain place and time he had loved Maria, which Kendall assumed and spoke about too often, but more to deal with the fact that he owed Maria and her family. How could he have let Julia walk away and possibly end up getting herself killed? How could he let himself be responsible for more of Maria's unhappiness? It should have been easy. According to Kendall, it should have been easy indeed. But, as it turned out, it wasn't easy and Zach had followed through with protecting Julia, which was why his pregnant wife and himself were now in immense danger.

The mob boss who had been hunting down Julia and Noah for years had finally caught on to Zach's presence in the situation. While it might have seemed easy to evade an attack, it simply wasn't. Now that he was caring for three people; Kendall, the baby, and Julia, it was harder to escape from the danger that surrounded him and those close to him. Of course, it could have been worse. Julia was pretty much taken care of now that Tad and Aidan had taken interest on the situation. If he needed to take care of himself and Kendall, he could leave Julia to Tad.

As Zach was thinking this through, the ringing of his cell phone broke thorough his concentration. He didn't recognize the number, but flipped open the phone anyway. "Slater, stay out of the Keefer case… or next time I **won't** be so careless." Fear seemed to climb it's way up out of Zach's chest and into his throat like rapid fire. Before he could ask what was going on, the voice spoke once more. "The sonogram was simply precious."

"IF YOU TOUCHED ONE HAIR ON HER HEAD—" he began heatedly, but the person on the other line had already hung up. It didn't matter that he hadn't gotten a clue as to who the person on the other line had been. All that mattered was getting to Kendall, because something was terribly wrong.

* * *

If someone were to ask Zach Slater how he had gotten from his office to the courtyard that separated him and Kendall's condos, he would not have an answer. All he knew was speed, anything that happened to get in his way were of no importance to Zach. Even the snow that blanketed the road, making them slick and wet, did not stop him from making the trip to the casino in record-breaking time. On the way to the condos, he had called Kendall's cell, her regular phone line, and even the Fusion office line, but no one had picked up. After repeatedly calling those lines, he tried calling the men he had hired to follow and watch Kendall, but again, no one answered. Assuming the worst, Zach threw his cell phone in the backseat of his car and reached quite an illegal speed on the roads leading to the condos.

When he finally reached the condos, he knew something was amiss the second he stepped from his car. From the distance in which he was standing, he could see broken windowpanes and Kendall's wide-open condo door. Glass crunched under his feet as he reached the snow-covered courtyard and the area was deathly silent. He disregarded the bloody figure on the ground, identifying it as a male right away. Flinging Kendall's door open wider than it already had been, he made his way into her condo. The place was a mess; papers were scattered, her couch was torn to shreds and various items scattered the wooden floor as he made his way through. "Kendall," he frantically called. "Kendall!"

He rushed to the bedroom, hoping to find her anywhere in the condo; for as long as she was there, everything would be okay. But all he found was a torn bed and more of a mess. But what grabbed his attention most was the black and white sonogram picture pinned to one of the four walls. The baby had been circled in red while Kendall's name at the bottom of the picture had also been circled. He grabbed the picture, tearing it from the wall and threw it angrily.

Dejectedly, Zach walked out of her bedroom and walked out of the condo. Making his way toward the man who he assumed had been shot and killed, he was shocked to find who that man had been. Jonathan Lavery's lifeless face stared back at him and Zach suppressed a shudder. Zach dragged the body away and gasped at what lay underneath him. His wife, his seventh-month pregnant wife was rolled into a bloody, wet, blue ball. Immediately, Zach tore off the jacket he had been wearing and wrapped it around her frigid body. The once clean dress she had been wearing was now stained with so much blood; Zach couldn't tell where the blood had been coming from. The only thing Zach was very much relieved to see was her chest rise and fall, as it normally should. But, even though she was still breathing didn't make her safe. Just by looking at her and her very blue skin, he knew that the only place for his wife was a hospital. Promptly, he lifted her into his arms and ran to his car. As he ran, he could clearly hear Kendall murmur, "Zach…"

He ran faster.

* * *

_It was so hard to run on sand and she had to keep running. Her feet dug into the sand, inch after inch, but every inch only became harder. Her legs felt weighed down; she could barely move them. And she couldn't see. Every which way she looked about was foggy and hazy and impossible to see the end or beginning of. There was no way for her to turn back, no place for her to go._

_She didn't move for a while, she just buried her feet into the maddening sand. But where there was sand… there was water. Bounding forward, she fell into warm liquid; water. Smiling, she felt happy and full of joy. She laughed with glee and smiled wider as the warm sunlight splashed across her upturned face. Her hands moved to her belly, expecting the bump that had been there for so long, but found nothing. Her stomach was as flat as a board. Panic filled her heart and as she slumped into the water that suddenly seemed to warm, a wave crashed against her. With nothing to grasp in order to gain her balance, she tumbled through the water and simply let go._

_

* * *

_

Kendall Hart-Slater awoke with a gasp. Blinking her eyes rapidly, her eyes focused on what looked quite familiar. Within seconds, she realized where she was: a hospital room. An IV was hooked into her arm. It's clear tubing snaked its way up to a clear bag, which rested on a little hook. She was dressed in an ugly, yet traditional hospital gown, which was tied together in a little bow at the base of her neck. For the most part she felt fine, but she was very tired and her head felt like a ton of bricks were lying on top of it. Still, as much as she would have liked to float off into another bout of sleep, her dream (or whatever it had been), kept her from going back to that place. She hadn't looked down at her stomach, fearing that the baby was indeed gone and she had failed Greenlee in yet another way.

As she propped herself into a seated position, her hospital room door opened. Zach walked through, looking the worst she had ever seen him look. He not only looked like he hadn't shaved in a couple of days, but his eyes were red and he looked as exhausted as she felt.

"Kendall." His voice was gruff with held back emotion as he saw her sitting there wide-awake. Rushing to her bedside, he set down his cup of coffee rather quickly and turned to her yet again. "How are you feeling?"

Her voice started off as a mere squeak, but she carried on and asked the question she had been wondering ever since she had awoken. "The baby is—"

"The baby is fine Kendall."

Tears filled her eyes and she couldn't resist at finally look down at her belly. Her large, protruding stomach was still there. Kendall couldn't help but reach down and rest her hands on her pregnant belly, almost bursting with happiness. Looking up at Zach, she realized just how worried he had been. She smiled, even with her eyes still glistening with tears and reached for his hand. Placing it on her stomach, he felt the baby kick out strongly against his hand. He smiled, and all the anxiety he had been holding onto, washed off and was gone in that one instant.

He felt sorry to do so, but moments later, he had to interrupt the perfect moment with a not so perfect statement. "Kendall, they're after us."

Silence flooded the room. Kendall looked away, and removed her hands from her stomach. Zach took his hands back and settled himself in the nearby chair he had recently been resting in. He cleared his throat and was about to speak again, but Kendall spoke before he could get the words out. Quietly she said, "You don't think I already know that?"

"Kendall, I'm—"

"You're what?" she spat back with newly found anger. "You're sorry I was nearly killed by not only one crazy man, but two? You're sorry I was shot at, stuck under a dead body and buried in snow for God knows how long?"

Upon waking, Kendall had been full of emotion; all of which had been happy after she had found out the baby had been perfectly fine. But once the peace had been broken, with the tender moment seeming so far behind, anger seemed to seep into every fiber of her being. All she could remember about her experience was the fear. Kendall hated when she was scared because nothing she could do would change that emotion. It seemed as if fear was the only emotion she couldn't get a grip on. She could deal with almost everything else, but being scared and showing it was something she would never enjoy.

Zach ran his hands over his face before sighing loudly. "I know you're mad. And I know today was a very hard day for you and the baby, but Kendall, I need to get you away."

Kendall looked at him like he was crazy. "So you just want me to leave? Zach, I'm seven months pregnant!"

Chuckling he said, "And here I was thinking you had only eaten too much of that milk chocolate." He paused, waiting for a laugh then cursed himself inwardly. _Never mock a woman's weight gain… even one that's pregnant_, he hastily reminded himself. "Do you really think I haven't taken that into consideration, Kendall? I've taken that into consideration for about the past nine months."

"If you've taken it into consideration, than how come we're in this mess at all? You should have just handed Julia over to Tad and gotten yourself uninvolved! It's not just about saint Julia anymore, Zach. Or maybe she's just more important than your wife and child. Maybe you'd rather save her for Maria instead of saving us."

His temper getting the best of him, Zach leapt from the chair and pushed it away. Because of a wall only being a few feet away, the chair slid and then banged against the wall loudly before the room became silent once more. He saw Kendall flinch at the loud noise and his temper quickly diminished into nothing at all. Shaking his head, he cleared his throat and walked toward the door.

"Where are you going?" She called from the bed.

He sighed and didn't answer. Fearing he would snap at her about the baby not actually being his, he knew leaving the room was the best thing for him at that moment. Staying in that room one more second would cause him to do something he really didn't want to do. Besides, he had some work to do in order to ensure he could leave town with Kendall quickly and safely.

As he closed the door, he tried to ignore his want to stay in the room with her. He motioned for Erica to go into the room, for she had been waiting for Kendall to wake up as patiently as a two year old. It would have made him feel better if Kendall had been embraced by her mother and cried the tears he knew she wanted to cry, but Kendall smiled her usual 'nothing is wrong' smile and Erica believed it. After watching Erica drag the chair he had recently slept in over to Kendall's hospital bed, Zach moved from the window. He slightly waved to Jack and walked down the hallway to work some things out.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: I do not own All My Children or the characters used in this story. Thank you.**

**Now that that's out of the way, thank you to: spunky6566, lorilann, Raerae21, SoapDoc, gidget89, scm08, Missy Jade, and Serrena. Really, you guys don't know how much your reviews mean to me. Merci!**

**I took a little 'creative license' with this chapter. The bed I write about and the cabin I write about in this chapter are a tad different in my story from how they appeared on the show. All I'll say is the bed is bigger in my version. And with that, I give you: **

**Chapter Three**

Zach Slater was sorry. He was sorry he had ever gotten into the Julia mess and he was sorry about what had happened because of it. Normally he might not admit his guilt and his ability to be sorry for something he had wanted to do all along. But, as Zach drove out and away from Pine Valley and noted Kendall's unhappiness, he was sorry.

Zach had chosen the small cottage up in the woods of Pine Valley for him and Kendall to hide out in. It was the same cottage he had used to hide Julia (until she had left) and the same cottage he had dragged Di/Dixie up to when he had wanted answers all those long months ago. The cottage was a tiny bit of a thing, but him and Kendall weren't going to be staying for long. Zach was hoping after a few weeks or even days, Tad, Aidan and Di/Dixie would figure out who The Dragon was and put a stop to the plan of killing Julia, Zach and Kendall.

Zach had not an inkling of who The Dragon was, but he was sure of one thing. He knew that if The Dragon got a chance, it would be the end of Kendall and himself. He hoped The Dragon would be stopped before Kendall went into labor, but if the birth approached any close than it was already, he had other resources. No matter what, Kendall and the baby would be protected and safe until all of this was over.

In two hours time, Zach reached the cottage. Kendall hadn't said a thing the entire ride, but he had expected it. Not only was she mad at him, but also about half way through the ride, she had fallen asleep. Jamie Martin, the one who had treating Kendall (much to Zach's dismay), had informed Zach that she would be extremely tired due to the traumatic ordeal she endured that day. Zach wasn't surprised with that caution. He couldn't imagine Kendall being anything other than tired. Even though she had been showing an extremely abundant amount of energy during the past few weeks compared to her earlier months (which she had shown quite well by cleaning out her condo **and** his during the past two days), Zach knew Jamie was right; Kendall would and should have been tired.

He put the car in park and looked over at her. Relaxation was the perfect word to describe her. Because of pregnancy, her hair was even thicker than what it had been naturally. So even when she tied it back (which how it was at that moment), wisps of curls still escaped and framed her face. Smirking, Zach remembered her complaining about the thicker locks weeks earlier and he reached out to finger one of many escaped curls. He wrapped it around his finger and released it softly, watching it spring back into its natural state. Watching her breathe steadily for only moments more, he moved out of the car quickly and softly shut his door. He opened Kendall's car door and leaned over to unfasten her seatbelt.

"Kendall. We're here."

She didn't awaken, but mumbled something in her sleep and smiled before slumping further down in her seat. Not being one to ruin another's slumber, he gently picked her up and made his away through the snow that led to the cottage door. During the walk, he could feel Kendall move further into his arms and snuggle against his chest. What can simply be said is that he wasn't all too unhappy about it. If anything, he welcomed the contact for it was cold. Or, that was one of the ways he rationalized enjoying Kendall cuddle into his arms.

He couldn't tell what had caused it, but in a moment's time, Kendall's eyes abruptly snapped open and she was instantly awake. Confusion clouded her eyes for a moment before she heatedly spoke, "Put me down!" Zach immediately set her down. She huffed and crossed her arms. "I'm pregnant Zach, not an invalid!"

"I was just trying to do you a favor. Here, take these and go inside." Zach tossed her the cabin keys and made his way back down the walk.

"Where are you going?"

"To get the eight hundred thousand suitcases you were determined to bring along. Unlock the door, will you? It's freezing out here!"

Without another obstinate remark, he watched as she waddled to the cabin door. He on the other hand, would have to make at least four trips out to the car before being able to warm by the fire. Of course, by the time he was finished, Kendall was fast asleep in the only bed the cottage had. She was fully dressed and hadn't bothered to do anything but kick off her shoes. He quickly kicked off his own shoes and pulled back the covers on the tiny bed. Trying to be as quick as possible and not wake up Kendall at the same time, he managed to get the covers out from under her and pulled them over her body.

A bathroom was situated at the back of the cabin and he changed into his nightclothes there. Afterwards, he cleaned up the cabin a bit. He put some of the food he had brought away into various cupboards and he even put away some of his clothes into the huge armoire that was on the far side of the room. Zach then decided it was time for him to finally go to sleep. The door was bolted securely and he made his way over to the tiny bed he and his pregnant wife had to share; for even if he had opted to sleep in a chair, there were none that would be of use. He had never equipped the cabin with any comfort chairs because he had simply never had any reason to do so.

It was nearly an impossible feat to get into the bed without disturbing Kendall. He cursed himself for not putting a huge bed in the cabin instead of the stupid, gigantic armoire. Attempting to take up as little room as possible, he slid in between the sheets. He shifted himself so he was as far as he could be without falling off the bed, but even still, his bare back touched Kendall's clothed one. As soon as he was settled and silence flooded the room, he realized that although Kendall looked like she was sleeping, she wasn't.

Ignoring the urge to turn over on his other side and face Kendall, he remained the way he was and asked, "Can't sleep?"

Kendall sighed and gave into the urge to roll over and face Zach. When she rolled over to face him, she was disappointed to find his back staring back at her. Not that his back wasn't a very nice back. Heck, Kendall thought, it was a very nice back indeed. It was such a nice back; she almost inched closer to smooth her hands over it. She refrained, of course, and stayed where she was. Though she was exhausted, she still couldn't fall asleep. The baby was being very active, but she couldn't even use that as an excuse because she knew that wasn't the reason she couldn't fall asleep. In fact, for once she was happy that the baby was being extremely active. She sighed shakily and then, for once since after the hospital, answered without anger. "I usually conk out as soon as my head hits the pillow, but I don't know…" Instinctively, she moved closer to him, unintentionally seeking more than warmth. Or maybe warmth was all that she **was** looking for. Heat that only Zach, her husband, could share with her.

Zach could sense her voice very close to his back. He ignored his body's want to shiver and instead turned on his other side. It was too late for him to realize it was a mistake on his part, for he would never be able to keep on his cool façade while he was inches away from her face. He had to keep on reminding himself that even though they were sharing a bed, and inches apart from another and even though he wanted to hold her and never let go, she was pregnant and even though she wasn't acting like it, she was angry as hell. Maybe though, she would be nice. Not that he didn't expect her to be mad about the events earlier in the day, of course, but maybe for right now, they could be nice to one another minus the usual sarcasm that intruded on in their conversations. Zach of course, was ignoring the fact that this could be considered highly intimate.

"Maybe if you change out of your clothes and into your pajamas, it'll help?" he suggested.

"Is that the nice way of kicking me out of your bed?" she asked grumpily. When he didn't answer, but gave her a knowing look, she rolled back the covers and slowly got up out of the tiny bed. Not looking back, she said, "I better not come back and find you hogging the bed. I like my personal spac—"

"I wouldn't dream of hogging this bed, but can I help if the bed is so damn tiny?" He knew she hated when he interrupted her, but Zach still did it anyway.

"You should've bought a bigger one! Like that stupid armoire over in the corner." The slamming of the bathroom door finished their conversation. Zach, trying to keep his promise, stayed on his side and tried to resist sleep.

In the bathroom, Kendall changed rather quickly into her pajamas. When Zach had taken her to her battered and beaten condo, Kendall had just grabbed whatever had been in reach. She had grabbed **a lot** of what had been in reach, but that was beside the point. While the pajamas she had grabbed still fit her now that she was seven months pregnant, they were a little… tiny. The bright blue tank top stretched well enough, but her belly still peeked out. She couldn't help but feel a little uncomfortable in them. Oh sure, they were comfortable when no one else was around, but Zach was around and she couldn't help but not want to bare her large, pregnant belly in front of him. Sighing, Kendall figured she and Zach would just have to deal with it. She washed her face with some water from the tap and grabbed a towel from a nearby shelf to dry her face, before opening the bathroom door and making her way to the tiny bed yet again.

Noticing Zach was facing her side of the bed, Kendall opted to walk to her suitcases (all five of them… not **too** many for a pregnant woman whose home was in shambles), and dropped off her clothes. Figuring there was nothing else to do, she pulled back the covers of the bed once more and climbed in.

Sleepily, Zach mumbled, "Everything better now?"

"It's fine," she said. "Goodnight." And it was fine. Yes, Kendall was still very much shaken up about her crazy day, but (even though she wouldn't admit it) having Zach that close to her made her feel very secure.

"'Night," Zach muttered. And though he was nearly sleeping already, he moved closer to Kendall and wrapped his arms around her, placing his hands on her pregnant belly. Inhaling her scent briefly, he placed his head somewhere near the crook of her neck. Shortly later, in the morning perhaps, he would blame the action on his sleepy state of mind, but when he didn't feel Kendall move away or make any sound of protest, he fully drifted off to sleep in an instant.

As for Kendall, the feeling of finally having his arms around her felt like a dream. In fact, she only allowed it because she thought she might've been dreaming. But, when she thought of it shortly later, in the morning perhaps, she wouldn't deny feeling the safest she had ever felt in her life.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Nope, I don't own All My Children or the characters used in this story.**

****

Thanks to May-Lial, Raerae21, jbr12476, Serrena, and loilann for your generous reviews. Really, thank you so much for taking the time to give your input on this story I really appreciate it!

* * *

Long after sunlight had peaked it's way beyond the trees surrounding the cabin where Zach and Kendall were currently staying; Zach Slater awoke from his rather invigorating sleep. What Zach found upon waking was most startling, for he found him snuggling quite closely to his wife, Kendall Hart Slater. The drunkenness of sleep seemed to wash away any memory of how he had become very much wrapped around Kendall's sleeping form, but only for a brief moment. His sleep-induced confusion slowed his realization, but he reached it all the same. He, himself, had instigated the snuggling. It had not been Kendall. And, as much as he didn't want to admit it, he had slept the best he had ever slept. He didn't want to think about what that meant. Obviously he cared very much for his wife, or else he wouldn't have been in the current predicament. No, not snuggled up against Kendall's back, but the whole pregnancy situation. But, just because he cared didn't mean he was ready to admit his true feelings. As far as Zach was concerned, the only reason he had even reached for her the night before was because of him being so sleepy. For then, he wasn't ready to admit he had reached for her because he had wanted to.

Rubbing his eyes, Zach peered down at Kendall's sleeping form. Her hands were curled around her face, framing it most perfectly. Her stomach, as big as it seemed compared to the rest of her tiny body, only slightly protruded from the tank top she wore. He refrained from rubbing his hands over the fascinating bump and decided to work on getting himself out of the tangle of sheets without waking Kendall. After a moment of unwrapping himself from his wife, he accomplished his goal. Kendall only rolled over into his empty spot and continued her deep sleep.

As for Zach, without being too descriptive, needed a cold shower.

* * *

When Kendall awoke from her deep slumber, all she wanted were eggs. Yes, an odd request upon waking, but Kendall was pregnant and the cravings had yet to cease no matter the time of day. She didn't even ponder the way her and Zach had slept the previous night before. The snuggling was in the far back of her mind. One might've perceived her as selfish, for who wakes up and forgets about everything except nourishment? Well, again, Kendall was pregnant and _hell hath no fury like a hungry pregnant woman_.

Before attempting to get out of bed, Kendall flung off the crumpled sheets that were covering her. Had the cabin become a furnace over night? It felt like her skin was on fire. Throwing her legs over the side of the bed, she hoisted herself up and out of the bed. As she got up, the bed creaked and moaned, but she paid no attention. Waddling from the bed, she shuffled over to what she guessed was the makeshift dining table. As she approached the 'table', she realized that her eggs were already made for her.

She wondered if she was really that predictable, but didn't really give a damn at that moment. The eggs were still warm, so she pulled out one of the chairs and sat down. The eggs were good, but she hadn't expected anything less. For what had seemed like forever (or, well... only during the time she was pregnant), eggs had been her best friends. Not literally of course, but it was all she seemed to want. Of course Zach had made her eat other things, but she would have been completely satisfied with any kind of egg all the time.

The truth was the eggs were viewed as a kind of peace offering between her and Zach. Kendall knew that it was wrong to blame him solely for the events that had transpired the day before, but she couldn't seem to help it. Though she wasn't really mad at him, he seemed like the only person she could release her anger upon. It was wrong and as she ate the eggs she realized it. Of course Zach wasn't to blame for Jonathan's harassment yesterday, nor was he to blame for the Dragon and his goons. Zach had had no control over those two events. And she knew, even though it might never be said, that Zach would have done anything to get her out of those two situations. And yes, Kendall didn't know how or why, but eating a bunch of tasty eggs helped her come to all these conclusions.

As Zach walked back from the bathroom, this time fully dressed rather then when he made the eggs in his pajamas, he paused when he saw Kendall awake. Immediately he had to hide his laughter, for her cheeks were puffed out, filled with eggs. Hurriedly, she swallowed and threw him a lighthearted smile.

"I see you find my eggs quite good."

She swallowed again, for she had already taken a couple more bites, and said, "You know your eggs are the best."

He smiled and sat down in the other chair surrounding their little table area. "I do have to warn you though."

"Yeah?" she questioned, mouth full yet again.

"I don't know the Heimlich maneuver."

Confusion washed over her face a moment before she got what he was referring to. "Hey!" she shouted in mock anger. "I can't help it if she's hungry this morning. I guess she likes your eggs too."

"She?"

"What?" She wrinkled her nose and confusion washed over her face yet again.

"You referred to the baby as 'she'." He gasped and raised his voice accusingly. "You looked at the doctor's file and figured out what the baby's sex is, didn't you!"

Kendall smirked and waved her fork in the air as she answered. "I did not!" At his disbelieving glare, she relented. "Okay, okay. So I **tried** to look. But the nurse figured out what was going on and stopped me." She paused. "Honestly, I didn't even realize I was referring to the baby as a she until you pointed it out to me." Kendall shrugged, "I just have a feeling that… that this baby is a girl."

"Well, whatever the baby turns out to be. He or she already has great taste in food."

Kendall rolled her eyes and ate the rest of her eggs in the cheerful silence that followed their brief yet calming conversation.

* * *

The next couple of days passed rather quickly considering there was about nothing to do in the cabin besides eat. Zach kept in touch with Tad, who seemed to always say that he was close, but not close enough to figuring the whole Dragon deal out. Though Zach wanted to keep Kendall safe, he couldn't help but feel antsy. He felt that if he were back in Pine Valley, the process would only be sped along.

For then though, he was enjoying him and Kendall's time away. Cuddling at nighttime continued, even if both him and Kendall were running out of excuses, he continued to cook her whatever she wanted, and from time to time, they even dragged out an old board game.

"You're such a cheater," Kendall exclaimed one night while they were playing Monopoly. Zach had pretty much taken over the board, while Kendall's luck hadn't been so fortunate.

"Me?! You're the one who keeps on stealing fifty dollar bills out of the bank!"

"Only so I can save myself from your mad, monopoly, evil, **cheating** ways! Besides, I'm not paying you a thousand dollars for landing on one space. Who says I even **want** to stay at your stupid hotel on stupid Virginia Avenue? Who says I should have to pay more because you own more than eight hotels in the entire land of Monopoly?"

"Kendall, it's just a game. Besides, you owe me three thousand dollars."

With mock disgust, Kendall wrinkled her nose, but smirked nonetheless. "You want your money? HERE!" With a childish laugh, she threw her remaining dollars at him. Before he could utter a word, Kendall grabbed the bills remaining in the bank and threw those across the board and into his face too. Zach didn't say a word, but without hesitation, he grabbed a handful of plastic hotels and houses and flung them at her.

"Throw anything you want at me, but you're the one who's cleaning up." And with that, she stuck her tongue at him and slid away from the table where the Monopoly board lay. "Oh, and I win." She threw him a smile, before sauntering (as best as she could at least), in the opposite direction.

"Not so fast, Mrs. Slater. You forfeit the game, you lose."

Placing her hands on her hips, Kendall replied, "Says who?"

"Says the president of Monopoly land," he joked.

"Monopoly land? What dork made tha— Oh… uh… well… then if you're the president, I'm the queen!"

"Hey queen, you've… you've got a—" Instead of saying what he was going to say, Zach strolled over to where Kendall was standing and simply plucked the small, green, plastic house that was stuck in her hair. "I'm pretty sure you're royal subjects wouldn't be too happy living in your hair."

"Why? It smells good enough. And it's soft. And it has great bounce. And—"

"As pretty as your hair looks, I have a game to clean up since Queen Kendall over here is just too royal to clean up her messes."

Kendall giggled. "Damn straight!"

While Zach moved to clean up the scattered dollars and scattered houses, Kendall stood in the middle of the room for a second. After a moment had passed, she moved to the board and stood on the opposite side of the table where Zach stood.

"Before you clean up," she began. "I have something to say." Though Kendall looked and sounded sincere, Zach knew she didn't want to discuss anything too serious, for she was failing at hiding her playful grin. "I just have to be honest," she said. And before Zach knew what she was doing, Kendall reached into her shirt and pulled out a wadded amount of Monopoly money.

Zach stared at her outstretched hand only for a moment before reaching across and taking the play money from her. He couldn't help but notice how warm the money was and he had to ignore the fact that the money had just been resting inside Kendall's shirt. He cocked his head and looked at her in mock sternness. Zach placed the money on the table and moved closer to her. Before Kendall could prepare herself, he was standing very close to her. In fact, he was standing so close, her stomach touched him.

He leaned in closer to her face and for a second Kendall tilted her head as her heart raced. Surely, a kiss would be coming next, she assumed. But instead of kissing her, he simply whispered, "You're a bad cheater, Mrs. Slater." And then he simply walked away and began to pick up the scattered houses and the scattered money.

For a minute, Kendall remained in the same spot. She wouldn't admit it of course, but she was flustered beyond a doubt. And damn was she hot. Why was the room so hot all of a sudden? Walking the fastest she had walked in a while, Kendall nearly trotted to the bathroom.

"Where are you going?" he called.

"Shower!" she yelled back.

Shower? Yes. And boy, would it be a cold one.


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: No, I do not own _All My Children_ or the characters used in this fic (except the ones I invent!)**

**I am so terribly sorry this took so long. I was sick two weeks ago, and then after a week of health, I got sick yet again. Apparently, I wasn't born with a very good immune system, but I'm recovering now and really hope I don't get sick again.**

**Thanks to jbr12476, scm08, Serrena, Missy Jade, Raerae21, maliek, ChicBball15, and Liz213Mast for wondrous reviews of last chapter. All your reviews are very much appreciated!**

* * *

A few weeks passed; each without Tad resolving the dragon situation. Zach was getting increasingly more fed up with each telephone call, but knew it was safer for him and Kendall to stay where they were. The only thing he could do was order more of his men around, but even that didn't seem to be working. And if that entire mess wasn't enough, things at the cabin weren't going so well either. During Zach and Kendall's slumbers, Kendall began to have nightmares. At first she didn't seem affected by the nightmares and the only reason he knew she was having them was because of the way she slept. When they had first arrived at the cabin and she had slept in his arms, she had seemed at peace. Her body had been relaxed and she had slept soundly. But now, every night, she would stiffen during her sleep. It surprised Zach that he even noticed it; for when he slept in the same bed as Kendall, he slept like a log. But, Zach did notice it and it worried him.

What worried Zach more though, was when she began to cry during her sleep. Her eyelids would be shut tight, but tears would still seep out from behind them. But when Kendall began to resist sleep, his worry grew even more. He didn't think it was possible to worry so much for a person, and yet he did.

Kendall couldn't recall when the nightmares began, but regardless of knowing when they started, they were there. She didn't remember much about the dreams, but she knew one thing; whether Jonathan was chasing her or she was running away from a mad man with a gun or even if she were running away from Ryan, Kendall's dreams always ended with her losing the baby.

She was so desperately afraid that this baby would be lost in some way or another. It didn't help matters that her and Zach were in the middle of nowhere with no medical attention around for miles. Though the secluded cabin had relaxed Kendall when she had first arrived, now she couldn't help but think about all the dangers it could bring to her and the baby.

Zach noticed the change in her behavior immediately. It was like another person had taken up residence in Kendall's body and no matter how hard he tried, the old Kendall was no where to be found. He knew it had advanced to the point where she wasn't sleeping anymore and because of her lack of sleep; dark circles had begun to form under her eyes. With her skin being so fair, the circles were more noticeable on her than they would have been on anyone else. Zach couldn't help but be very worried for Kendall and for the baby she was carrying. Stress and lack of sleep couldn't be good for the either of them.

One morning, after they had eaten breakfast, Zach brought the matter up. "You haven't been sleeping," he said as gently as possible. Kendall didn't answer, but looked at him sullenly. "Kendall…"

Before she could help it, Kendall burst into tears. There could've been a number of reasons why she was crying. It could have been her lack of sleep, or it could have been all from her raging hormones. It might have even been the way Zach was looking at her, but whatever it was made Kendall's emotions burst. Embarrassed, she covered her face with her hands.

Zach moved from where he was sitting and knelt in front of her. He gently took her hands away from her face and softly grasped them in his own hands. "Tell me what's wrong, Kendall."

"Everything's wrong!" she exclaimed. "People want to kill us and I'm pregnant and fat and…"

"You're not fat," he interrupted.

"Well then I'm stupid and hormonal and… I'm scared," she finished weakly. Instead of waiting for a response, she carried on. "What if I fail her again, Zach? I've already gone and let her die…"

"You didn't let her die, Kendall. What happened wasn't your fault and it wasn't Greenlee's. It just happened. You had no control." Still holding her hands, he stood and urged her to do the same. "Come on," he said. Leading her over to the bed, he motioned for her to sit on it. "You're tired. And no matter what you say, your lack of sleep is not good for you or for the baby. So sleep."

With a yawn, she said, "I can't. The nightmares'll come back."

Already, Zach could see her eyelids drooping. "They're just dreams. I would never let something like that happen to you or the baby."

Kendall moved to get under the covers as she pulled a pillow closer to her. "How'd you know what I was dreaming about?"

"How wouldn't I know? I know you were more frightened by the mess at the condos more than you let on. I won't ever let anything like that happen to you again."

Half asleep, she mumbled, "Promise?"

"I promise." He kissed her forehead lightly and went to move away from the bed. Kendall's hand shot out and grabbed his before he could fully move away.

"Promise you'll stay," she whispered.

He made himself a little more comfortable, but never let go of her hand. Resuming the spooning position they had slept in for the past few weeks, Zach felt Kendall finally drift off. "I promise." And as he watched her sleep, he never felt her tense up, not even once. Nor did she cry during this sleep. She was relaxed and he couldn't help but admire the beauty in that.

Though he felt at peace in that moment, the sudden image of the sonogram, with the baby circled in red, came to his mind. He tried to get rid of it, but the image continued to flash through his mind. Sighing slightly, he let go of Kendall's hand and left the bed. Determination spread across his features before he left the room. A call had to be made and so he moved to the back of the cabin where he was sure he wouldn't wake Kendall. Unbeknownst to Zach, the moment he left the bed, her body tensed and she began to cry in her sleep once more.

* * *

Somewhere back in Pine Valley, a small office was being torn apart. The entryway to the office had already been torn off it's hinges while papers seemed to cover the floor entirely. The man who had made the disaster was seated at the computer punching the keyboard frantically. After a few moments, triumph registered across his face. He had found what he needed. Jotting the location on a slip of paper, the man promptly lifted the computer from the desk and dropped it to the floor.

After he had left the trashed office, the man flipped open his cell phone and quickly dialed the number he had grown to memorize. "I got what you needed, sir," he said into the phone.

"Good," the voice responded. "Tad Martin and Aidan Devane have already been collected. No trouble getting into their office?"

"None at all."

"Perfect. Meet me back here as soon as possible. I'll send a couple of guys to aid you in retrieving Slater and his wife."

"Yes, sir." Closing the phone, the man started his car and began to drive away.

* * *

A few hours passed before The Dragon's men were able to reach the cabin where Zach and Kendall were staying. It was raining heavily, but rain was better than snow and it hardly delayed the men and the cars they traveled in. Pleased to notice how isolated the cabin exactly was, the men promptly killed the engines of their cars as they reached the front of the cabin. It was only a matter of moments before they were situated and ready to acquire what they had come for. Mutely nodding, the 'leader' pointed to where each of the men were supposed to be stationed. The 'leader' took in the cabin and what he could use to his advantage. As far as he knew, Zach Slater would be quite hard to handle, but The Dragon had informed the men of Kendall Slater's current situation. The 'leader' figured he could use that against Zach and restrain him in a way of threat to his wife. Kendall was not to be harmed in any physical way, but Zach didn't know that and the 'leader' would use that to his advantage.

* * *

When Kendall awoke, more than a couple of hours after she had drifted off to sleep, she noticed two things: one, Zach was not next to her and two, the cabin was oddly cold. Actually, to be more honest, the cabin was utterly freezing. Her teeth clattered together and though she was wrapped in a blanket, goose-bumps rose along her skin. She went to get up from the bed, but before she could completely do so, a gloved hand clasped her mouth.

Eyes widening, Kendall couldn't believe this was happening again. For once, she hoped to be in the middle of another vivid nightmare, but she knew she had no such luck. The hand clasped around her mouth was all too real and she knew it all too well.

Not one to be put down without a fight, Kendall flailed her arms and legs wildly. She was smart enough to know she could never fight this man, but knew enough to know that Zach surely could. Aware of a lamp on the nearby night table, Kendall smacked her hand against it and successfully sent it falling to the floor. The ceramic base and the light bulb smashed upon impact and she threw a smug look to her captor.

Surprise washed across her face as she realized the man suppressing her screams wore a ski mask. She stopped hiding her fear when she realized who this man was and exactly who he was working for. The man regretted doing so, for he could already see the fear in her face, but pressed his gun against her head regardless. Clicking the safety of the gun off with a resounding 'click', he whispered into her ear, "Move again and I'll kill you."

The masked man motioned for her to stand up from the bed and she did so slowly. He even placed a hand on the small of her back, helping her rise faster and with more efficiency. The help of a hand couldn't erase the gun's pressure as he pressed it against her temple though, and her back stiffened accordingly. Before she completely leave the bed, she grabbed her blanket and wrapped it around her chilled body as best as she could. When she was finally standing and on her two feet, Kendall realized that the front door of the cabin was wide open, welcoming the unwelcome gusts of cold wind. The blanket that she had so recently grabbed and wrapped around herself dropped to the floor. She was left standing there, her feet bare and freezing, while the masked man kept the gun locked against her temple. All while her teeth were clattering and goose-bumps continued to rise along her skin from the cold, Kendall squeezed her eyes closed. Like a child making a wish right before blowing out her candles, she only wished Zach, the baby, and she would get through this whole Dragon problem safely.

* * *

Zach, who was still in the back of the cabin, was taking a break from calls when he heard the sound of glass shattering. Though it was ceramic crashing and not glass, Zach was quite unaware. Immediately, he knew something was not right and grabbed the gun he always kept near by. He slowly turned the knob on the door that separated him from whatever was out there. As he opened the door, cautiously observing the room all the while, he noticed how silent the cabin had gone after the smashing of whatever had been smashed.

What he really wanted to do was run out into the main room and see if Kendall was okay. He only wished she had awoken and in Kendall fashion, had dropped one of the glass plates from the kitchen or had purposely knocked the lamp off the night table and sent it shattering to the ground out of anger. Though scenarios of all kinds popped into Zach's head, he knew that something was wrong. If it hadn't been something serious, she would have called for him; she would have asked for his help. But Kendall's voice was never heard and that's what scared Zach the most.

Abandoning the cover of the wooden door, he steadily walked away from it and further into the hallway separating the main room from the back rooms. He was more than ready when a man came from out of the blue and tried to knock him over the head. The man never made it anywhere near Zach, for Zach had merely pushed the man into the doorjamb. Even though Zach had only pushed him, his head smacked against the heavy wood and he slumped over; passed out. Another man approached Zach, but again, Zach promptly raised his fist and punched the man's nose. He heard and felt the man's nose break and the man instantly slumped over in pain.

Several more men came out at Zach, but there were only two that even came close to touching him. His fists were red with irritation, but nothing else seemed worse for wear. Zach raised his gun once more and cautiously moved to where he expected Kendall to be.

Kendall of course, was there, but not in the way he wanted her to be. She was standing in the middle of the room with a gun pressed to her temple and an unfamiliar man pushed to her back. Her eyes were wide with fear, and he could tell she was freezing from the way her teeth clattered noisily. Noticing him right away, she tried to motion him away, but it was too late.

"Put the gun down and no one has to get hurt," the captor said gruffly. "Don't do nothing stupid."

Zach could see the man press the gun tighter against Kendall's temple as Zach neared closer. He gripped his gun tightly, wanting to keep it and yet willing to throw it away in a second. Zach knew there weren't many options for him and softly placed the gun on the wooden floor.

Harshly, the masked man spoke. "Slide it to me. No funny stuff."

Zach quickly slid the gun towards the man and immediately had two men at his back. One of them hit him over the head with a blunt object and he crumpled to the ground in a heap. Shrieking, Kendall tried to leap towards him the second he was hit, but the man holding her only gripped her tighter.

"Let's go." He half led, half dragged Kendall outside while the two men followed with Zach. Gravel crunched under the man's feet, but nothing crunched as she walked on the pebbled path. Her feet were bare and cold as she made her way to the intended destination. She spotted three cars not far from where the cabin lay and briefly wondered just how many men had come to retrieve her and Zach. How many men had been needed for a pregnant woman and one man?

Unfortunately, the men led Zach in a different direction and to a different car. She struggled for a moment with the man that was holding her, but her attempts were futile. More gently than she thought was possible, they forced her into a back seat of one of the three cars.

Lurching forward in her seat as the car sped off and away from the cabin, Kendall kicked the seat in front of her out of frustration. "Let me look at his head, asshole!" The only answer she received was one of silence and she muttered more insults under her breath.

Looking towards the window with a sigh, she noticed raindrops running down the window. Light reflected in the droplets of water and she nearly forgot herself and her situation for a moment to admire the beauty of it. But the beauty couldn't take away her miserable state and she still shivered with cold. It wasn't until then that she realized how very wet she was from the rain they had walked through from the cabin to the car. Her hair was sopping wet and she miserably pushed it as far away from her face as possible, but it still fell in her face as she sat miserably in the back of the car.

She was worried and sad and mad and… cold. What if Zach was bleeding and no one was there to stop it? What if they had already killed him for helping Julia? What if they were only driving her off someplace so they could kill her without anyone seeing?

Though these thoughts made her come close to tears, she refrained from falling apart in front of the goons. Instead, she continued to kick the seat in front of her as hard as she possibly could. The men didn't make any sounds of protest, but she knew that she was frustrating them beyond belief; and that made her smile.

As she kicked the seat in front of her, the eight-month-old baby she was carrying sharply kicked her somewhere near the ribs. The pain was sharp and it hurt, but Kendall couldn't seem to care. With it, she could only feel Greenlee's strong presence.

When the man in the front passenger seat turned to look at the pregnant woman sitting in the backseat of the car, he was expecting to see someone who looked defeated and sad. Instead, he was greeted with the sight of a smiling pregnant woman. She was still kicking the seat in front of her and annoying his boss immensely, but she was smiling. The man couldn't help but admire her spunk and beauty. He turned back around in his seat and smiled also, until his partner shot him an irritated look. Then, without even really thinking about it, he turned up the heat for the pretty, smiling, yet shivering pregnant woman in the back of the car.


	6. Chapter 6

A/N: No, I do not own _All My Children_ or the characters used in this story. The end.

**Thanks to ChicBball15, May-Lial, Missy Jade, Serrena, scm08, Born to Fire, Raerae21, and Liz213Mast. Getting reviews is one of the best feelings, so thank you for the inspiration and kind words! Happy holidays, everyone!**

* * *

Zach's head hurt. Zach's head hurt **a lot**. As he slowly faded back into consciousness, he was greeted with the last person he wanted to see: Tad Martin. Tad was slapping his cheek a little harder than necessary and calling his name loudly. The second he was able to, he held up a hand and pushed Tad's hands out of the way.

"And here I was worried you were never going to wake up," said Tad sarcastically.

"I never pictured you as the worrying type," Zach muttered. Slowly, Zach scooted his slumped over body up so he could lean against the same wall Tad was leaning against. Gingerly, he placed his hand over the spot on the back of his head which hurt the most, and found some dried blood.

It took him a moment to gather his bearings, but when he did, he noticed a few things about the room he was in. It was dark and wasn't very well lit due to the lack of windows, but he could still see well enough to get a feel of his surroundings. Linoleum tile stretched along the floor while the walls were covered in dull, peeling paint. It was a tiny room, but one that seemed large anyway. It was bare, with no furniture. The only thing that seemed to differ from pure blandness was the door. It was a wooden door and despite the grunginess of the room Zach and Tad were in, the knob shone brightly; almost like it had recently been clean.

"Where in the hell are we?" Zach muttered. He feared if he spoke any louder his head would explode.

"A room."

"Tad, this is not the time to be sarcastic. Do you have to make an injured man hit you?"

"Listen Slater," Tad said. "I was knocked out just like you were… only a couple hours earlier. All I know about this place is that the door doesn't open and there's another room just like this here… because that's where he's keeping Aidan and Kendall."

"You know exactly who he is don't you." It wasn't a question. Zach was intelligent enough to know when someone was keeping something from him. Normally he wouldn't care what Tad wanted to keep to himself, but if he was going to get Kendall and himself out of this alive, he needed to know details.

"Garrett Williams is the dragon."

"Mimi's husband? Are you kidding me?"

"Nope. I'm as serious as… as…"

Not one to wait around for Tad to come up with some random analogy, Zach interrupted him. "Have you seen Kendall?"

"No. But I've sure heard her."

Zach sat up a little further. "What do you mean?" he asked.

"She was screaming. Just a little while ago." Tad shuddered and Zach couldn't help but feel terribly defeated. He slumped further down and stared miserably at the shiny polished doorknob, but only for a moment. Despite the pain in his head and how weak he felt, he forced his body to move and he stood up. If Kendall was in danger, he needed to do something other than just sit around.

Making his way to the door, he shouted at the top of his lungs and began to kick the door in. "Don't just sit around, Tad. Get your ass off the floor and make yourself useful!"

* * *

"Kendall! You need to calm down!"

"DON'T TELL ME WHAT TO DO AIDAN!"

Aiden Devane and Kendall Hart Slater had once upon a time been close friends. Okay, so they had been a little more than just close friends. Until Ryan Lavery had come back to town, Kendall and him had been in love. Though they had never been on horrible terms, (he and she even still talked from time to time) they were never quite as close as they once were.

They were currently locked in a room similar to Zach and Tad's room, but this one had a comfortable chair and a blanket. Aidan was quite convinced that the chair and blanket weren't for him, but more for the sake of Kendall. Whoever had kidnapped them, (and unlike Tad, Aidan didn't know who had), knew that Kendall was pregnant and apparently didn't want to risk any danger to her. Of course, he didn't know why they had put her through the trauma in the first place if they didn't want her in danger. Nor did he know why that person thought she wouldn't be stressed out and in danger regardless of how well they treated her. Kendall was deathly worried for her husband and though Aidan knew next to nothing about babies and pregnancies, he knew stress and hysterics were not good for a baby. A birth among this madness was something he did not want to worry about.

So for the most part, Aidan was trying to calm Kendall down before something bad happened. To say he was anywhere near successful was a huge misconception. Aidan was not having the easiest time calming Kendall down. But then again, he couldn't blame her for being anything but calm.

With her face streaked with tears, her voice hoarse from yelling, and her hiccoughing sobs, Kendall was a sight for sore eyes. Though she had recently been pacing the room and slamming her hands and feet on the door periodically for the past hour, she was finally sitting in the overstuffed armchair that had so generously been placed in their room. It still wasn't calming her down though and Aidan grew increasingly more worried as each minute passed.

"They killed him! I know it Aidan. I know they did it."

"Kendall, you need to calm down. It's not good for the baby or for you." He paused briefly for a moment, noticing she hadn't taken his advice for the millionth time. "They didn't kill Zach."

"How do you know that?" she moaned. "How do you know they're just not waiting to—"

"Don't think that," he interrupted. "Zach is okay and you're okay and we're all gonna be okay!"

She grew oddly quiet and for a moment Aidan thought his soothing words had worked magic upon her frenzied state, but he was far from correct. Confusion washed across her face and she frantically searched for his hand. Grasping it with what felt like all the strength in her body, Kendall gasped in pain in unison with Aidan.

"Kendall! What's wrong? You're killing my hand."

Panting, she muttered, "I think I just had a contraction." She clasped her eyes tightly shut and withdrew a shaky breath. "Oh God. Aidan, what are we going to do?"

"Okay, okay," he said nervously. "First thing we're going to do is let go of my hand because it really—"

"AIDAN! I'M IN LABOR AND YOU'RE COMPLAINING ABOUT YOUR HAND?!" she screeched. Letting go of his hand, no matter how much she wanted to hold it, she began to cry softly again. "I'm not supposed to be here! I'm supposed to be in my home… a home which hasn't been broken in to and isn't in shambles! The second I feel a contraction, I'm supposed to be sped to the hospital! A nice clean hospital with so much anesthetic I won't feel a thing!" Pausing for a moment, her voice grew quiet. "Zach is supposed to be here, Aidan. Zach is supposed to be here."

Aidan knew it would be worthless to offer words, for words hadn't worked in the first place when he had been trying to calm her down. The thing he could offer and did offer, was his hand. Kendall grasped it tightly as another contraction ripped through her and Aidan didn't complain, not even once.

* * *

A few hours later, after Zach's voice was as hoarse as Kendall's, there was still no response to Zach and Tad's racket. They hadn't been reprimanded in any shape or form and had continued to beat the door for a good hour. After that hour though, their bodies had willed them to stop. Zach would have done anything to get out of that room and get to Kendall, but even he could admit their bit of retaliation wasn't working in the least.

So the two of them sat, slumped against one of the four walls. Defeat was written all over each of their faces and both of them couldn't have looked more depressed if they had tried.

Suddenly, without warning, the door slammed open. Two large men entered the room and lifted Zach and Tad to their feet. As the men entered the room, immediately Zach said, "I want to see my wife."

"We'll give you anything you want, Mr. Slater. Just as long as you and your partner here cooperate."

* * *

"That's it Kendall, breathe it out."

Frustrated beyond belief, Kendall grumbled, "If you utter the word breathe one more time… Ugh, Aidan!" Kendall puffed a large breath anyway and continued to breathe heavily while her contraction passed. The truth was, Kendall and Aidan were both petrified. Kendall's labor was progressing much faster than she had anticipated. And while Aidan knew enough to tell Kendall to keep on breathing, he knew nothing about childbirth. They both were aware that Kendall needed a hospital, but even if they could move (and they very well couldn't), there was no way for Kendall to get up and move about.

They sure didn't call it labor for nothing. Kendall was soaked with her own sweat and more tired than she had ever been in her entire life. While Kendall had expected pain for her labor, the contractions were more painful than she had ever suspected. She honestly didn't know how people could do these things without drugs. Desperately, she wished she were at a hospital so she could numb the pain. With every contraction, the world seemed to lurch forward and into her face, but during the moments between each contraction, Kendall couldn't help but fade out of the world.

After a while, Kendall didn't even hear Aidan's kind words and encouragement. He was there, in front of her, and she was well aware, but sometimes she didn't know where they were or why. And it was just so hot. Sweat slicked back her kinky curls and her sweat seemed to drip down everywhere. Kendall was beyond exhausted.

Aidan, as usual, tried to keep her calm, but he feared his cause was a lost one. He could tell just by looking at her that she was exhausted. And though he wasn't fully aware of how disoriented Kendall was, he could tell she wasn't fully aware of what was going on. He himself was slicked in sweat, though not nearly as bad as Kendall. Knots of worry seemed to form in his stomach and he was horribly nervous for Kendall and her baby.

"Air conditioning," Kendall mumbled. "Why the hell doesn't this place have air conditioning?"

"Too costly. You know just how cheap that good ol' Dragon is," Aidan joked. He laughed and expected a good-natured chuckle in return, but received none. Kendall hadn't even registered his voice.

Kendall whimpered before briefly uttering, "…want Zach." Immediately after her words were spoken, Aidan felt a gush of liquid. And even he, the man who knew nothing about childbirth, knew that Kendall's water had just broken.

Suddenly, the door that had seemed shut for an eternity, opened. One of the men, who had taken part in the capture of Kendall and Zach, appeared before the doorway. Kendall didn't recognize him, but seemed to register the opening of the door and quietly whimpered Zach's name for the second time. Aidan stood and blocked the man's view of Kendall, signifying his willingness to protect Kendall at all costs. But the man didn't seem interested in harming either one of them.

The man, looking rather flustered as he stood there, leaned against the doorjamb briefly. "We have to leave right now," he gasped out.


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: No, I do not own AMC or the characters used in this story.**

**I'm really sorry this took so long, but I've been rather busy with the holidays and other things. I hope the updates will be more frequent, but I'm not promising anything because my schedule is quite hectic.**

**Thanks for all the support! I'm not going to individually name everyone who reviewed the last chapter (I did in the first draft I had, but my doc got erased!), but just know that you have my thanks. I really hope you appreciate this one because it took me over an hour to get it up. My computer hates me. Grrr.**

* * *

The blast of air felt foreign and awkward to Aidan as he stepped out of the building he and Kendall had recently been trapped in. The door he had used to get out of the building slammed behind him and Aidan only knew there was no turning back. Shifting Kendall, who lay in his arms soaked in sweat, Aidan tried to gather his bearings and figure out where him and Kendall were. He most certainly knew that he needed some sort of medical attention for the laboring woman in his arms, but at the same time, Aidan couldn't figure out where the heck they were.

The alleyway they were in seemed darker than the night that was surrounding them. Aidan assumed they had exited out a back door, but wasn't certain about anything. As it was, the alleyway seemed deserted, but Aidan was smart enough to figure out that Kendall and he would be missed rather quickly. Knowing all that he knew, there was only one place to begin. As he brought Kendall closer to his chest, he began to walk forward and try to find a way out of the darkness.

Kendall squeezed Aidan's shirt between her hands and muttered some random profanity. As the contractions came closer and closer together, Kendall found it harder to succumb to the wonderful feeling of unconsciousness. While it had been easy before, the harsh realities of pain made it harder and harder. When the last contraction had passed and she was able to sigh in relief and open her eyes, she was surprised to find she was outside.

"Where are we going?" She tried to cover the panic in her voice, but her attempt didn't work so well and her voice came out as a weak squeak.

"Kendall… look, everything is going to be okay. We just need to find our way—"

"Find our way? Aidan… we can't leave Zach behind! We can't just… NO! We need to go back right now!" She struggled in Aidan's arms for a moment, but was too weak to get anywhere far.

"Kendall you're in labor! We need to get you to a hospital. If we're out here and Zach and Tad are in there, we can get them help."

"I can't leave him. I want him… I want him," she cried.

"I know. I know you want him, Kendall. But right now I know he'd want you as far away from this place as possible. I promise… I promise I'll come back and get him."

"Promises are worth shit, Aidan. Promises… are meant to be… Ugh!" Kendall gripped his shirt again and muttered out more curses as another contraction ripped through her. Aidan, deciding now was the best time to conveniently drop the conversation, started running through the alleyway again. He wasn't going to lie and say that running while carrying a pregnant woman was easy, but there was no other option for him or Kendall.

"Nice to see that all your… jogging… has paid off," Kendall said between breaths.

"Yeah, well… I wish I had taken the time to memorize a map of Pine Valley instead… if we're still even **in** Pine Valley."

"Hey… don't turn into a pessimist on account of me. It's not… becoming," she joked. Groaning, several minutes later she muttered, "I should have taken fucking Lamaze."

Aidan shot her a reassuring smile. "Why? It's only a matter of time before we reach some sort of hospital and a big needle full of whatever drug pregnant women get is ready for you."

"I was wrong. You really **are** optimistic."

* * *

"Where is my wife?" Zach asked for what seemed like the hundredth time. And yet, he received no answer. Garrett Williams just stared back at him like he had never even heard him.

Zach and Tad were seated in what seemed to be a much nicer part of the building they were being held in. While their hands were handcuffed behind their back, Tad and Zach had been allowed to sit in actual chairs. It was better than sitting against a moldy wall, but Zach barely noticed his comfort level. All he was worried about was Kendall and her whereabouts.

Abruptly, the door of the room slammed open and smashed against the wall. Three men entered the room, dragging another man in from behind them. The man's lip was bleeding and a bruise was already forming slightly under his right cheekbone.

"What's the meaning of this?" Garrett asked. He stood up from his desk and approached the group of men. "I asked you to bring in Kendall and get rid of Devane."

"Get rid of?" Tad asked loudly. "What the hell does that mean?"

"Where the hell is my wife? If your men were supposed to bring her—"

"Shut up!" Garrett yelled. "Just the both of you shut the hell up." He turned toward his men once more and studied the bruised man that had been carried in. Pausing for a moment, he stroked his chin before saying, "You let them go, Adams, didn't you." It wasn't a question and the man on the floor didn't bother to answer it or respond it any way.

Swift as anything Zach had ever seen before, Garrett kicked the man Zach presumed was Adams and sent the man sprawling across the floor. "Where? Where the fuck did you let them out!"

It took a few seconds, but Adams answered with as much bravado as he could muster. "I wasn't gonna let her just sit there, sir! She was pregnant and when I got in the room she was in labor and—"

"SHE WHAT?! And you let her GO?"

Zach abruptly stood from where he had been sitting. "She was in labor? It's too soon!"

Adams nodded rapidly and received another kick. Wiping the blood from his lips he said, "They're long gone by now. No one deserves to deliver her baby in this dump. I'm glad I did it."

Garrett gestured for the men to take Adams away. "Send the men out. Don't dare disturb me unless you have Mrs. Slater. And you know what to do with Devane."

After Garrett had waved his hand lazily and the door had been shut, someone tackled him from behind and sent him falling to the floor. Zach, who was pressed to Garret's back in an act of desperation, had seized the only moment he thought he might ever have. Growling into Garret's ear, he said, "You fucking bastard! My wife is out there in labor! If anything happens to her or her baby, so God help me I will kill you. And that is a promise I intend to keep."

Without using much strength, Garrett flipped Zach over and stood up. In an instant, Garrett took out a gun and pointed it down at Zach. Hovering over Zach, he spoke and said, "Promises are meant to be broken, Slater. I have no use for a man I can't manipulate and control."

The door suddenly opened once more and at the same time, another large something (also known as Tad Martin) hit Garrett from behind and threw off his balance. A resounding gunshot would be something none of the people in the room would ever forget.

* * *

"Aidan Devane. You are a liar."

Aidan looked down at Kendall's sweaty face and knew she was right. While he had only imagined that they were close to some form of life, let alone a hospital, it all had been a guess. A severely, demented and horribly uneducated guess, but a guess all the same. And now he was exhausted and Kendall had to be somewhere near actually giving birth. He didn't have a watch on him, but she had broken her water maybe three hours before and that did not bode well for the two of them… or well, the three of them.

"Sorry Kendall," he said with sincerity. "I never thought it would take this long."

"It's not your fault," she said with much strain in her voice. While Kendall hadn't been the one running, it sure felt like she had been. "I was just excited about that epidural of mine." Looking into Aidan's face, she realized how selfish she was being. His face was scarlet from exertion and just as sweaty as hers was. "Aidan, what if we just take a rest? Just sit and relax for a second so you can run faster."

Aidan was reluctant, but was almost too exhausted to argue. There was enough light for him to find something to sit against, but it wasn't nearly light enough to see what they were leaning against. Any support was welcome and Kendall and he couldn't complain. He sat her down first and she quickly curled up in a ball, hugging her stomach. As he sat down, she moved into his arms and gripped his shirt once more. "Aidan," she cried. "It's hurts. Oh God!"

Kendall didn't know what was happening, but the pains were suddenly too much for her to bear. Gritting her teeth, she tried to hold back her cries and screams of pain, but it was all worthless. She finally allowed herself to scream as a horrible pain ripped through her abdomen.

Aidan didn't know what to do. There was nothing worse than watching a woman in pain and not being able to help. "Is it time, Kendall? What do I do?"

"Is it time?! How am I supposed to know? Wh-what if it's too early yet? What if eight months just isn't enough?" After a brief moment, she yelled, "Dear God, just make the pain go away!"

Aidan moved swiftly then. Something in his body overruled his lack of knowledge, his fear, and his worry. Without a moment's worth of hesitation, he took off his shirt and bundled it, pushing it under Kendall's lower half. His upper torso was only covered with an undershirt and he suspected that soon the undershirt might be wrapped around a much smaller person who would need it a lot more than he ever had. Aidan moved to Kendall's lower body and did what he thought would have to be done in order for the baby to make his or her way into the world. There was no turning back now, he realized, as he slipped off his undershirt. The baby would need someplace to go besides his hands, and he was only glad to give up his clothes for it. He tore a piece of his undershirt, figuring pieces of his shirt could be put to use and put a larger chunk aside for the baby.

The pain was indescribable to anyone but Kendall at that moment. Her body felt like it was on fire... a fire that might never extinguish. As the pain seemed to move from her belly to lower and lower, she cried incoherent moans and cries. Luckily for her, her body seemed to take over for her. Though she had never been to any Lamaze classes nor had enough time or interest to read about birth, her body knew enough to push when it was supposed to.

Aidan didn't know how long he had been watching Kendall strain in pain, but in what seemed like a very long while, he proclaimed, "I see its head, Kendall!"

There was a moment where anything and everything Kendall wanted to do was push. She felt an extreme burning and wanted nothing but to rid of that pain, but instinct took over and instead and she breathed deeply. Aidan supported the head as best as he could and watched as a shoulder was released. He quickly took a piece of his torn undershirt and wiped the baby's mouth and nose and without warning, a cry, certainly unlike anything Aidan or Kendall had ever heard, rang out through the darkness. Within a fraction of one more second, Greenlee and Ryan's baby girl, now Kendall's baby girl was born into the world. She was wrapped with Aidan Devane's undershirt, but that could never take away the baby's preciousness. "You have a beautiful baby girl, Kendall." Aidan couldn't help but smile brightly at the picture. Kendall looked exhausted, but happier than he had ever seen her. With the umbilical cord still attached to the baby, Aidan handed her off to Kendall. Aidan didn't know how long the both of them could stay attached like that, but it had to be safer than cutting the cord with something that wasn't sterile.

The baby continued to wail in the unfairness of being forced into a cruel and dark alleyway, but Kendall paid no mind to the tears. The baby was so tiny and yet, she was alive and well and screaming her head off. As the baby and Kendall looked at one another, the baby quieted for a moment. She opened her eyes and Kendall was blessed with the beautiful sight of baby blue eyes gazing back into her own. It was only a moment before the baby squeezed her eyes closed and started to cry yet again, but in that baby's eyes, all Kendall could see was just how much that baby resembled Greenlee. It was true, it appeared the baby would have Ryan's eyes (and even that could change), but even the shape of the eyes was identical to Greenlee's eyes. Kendall was well aware of the fact that the baby was not a clone or mirror image of Greenlee, nor would she grow to be an exact replica of Greenlee, but Kendall had never felt closer to Greenlee as she did at that moment. With Greenlee's baby in her arms, already a tiny fighter through and through, Kendall knew exactly what she would name her.

Kendall whispered, "Jayden Leigh Slater." It was as though Greenlee was sitting by her side and had whispered the name in her ear. "Greenlee?" Kendall muttered. She could have sworn she had seen her, had felt her sitting near her. But Greenlee wasn't there. Blinking rapidly, Kendall curled up with the still screaming newborn, and allowed Aidan to lift them into his arms.

Aidan continued to walk, fearing that him and Kendall would never reach the end of the maze they were stuck in. He had no shirt, she was bloody and soaked with sweat, and the baby was still wailing and in need of a feeding, a good bath… oh, and it might help to detach the baby from it's mother.

It wasn't cold outside, and he wasn't worried about any of them freezing, but it wasn't the warmest of nights either. The baby was tiny, Kendall had just given birth in an alleyway and anyone with the slightest intelligence knew what complications could occur with the onset of infection. If Aidan didn't find a hospital or help soon, he couldn't imagine what might happen.

So focused on finding a way out of the alleyway of hell, he didn't notice Kendall drift off to sleep. Her skin was clammy and pale, but he assumed that she was just tired. What Aidan didn't know though, was just how much Kendall was bleeding. He had never delivered a baby before and hadn't known how much blood loss was normal.

Walking only for a short period of time, a sudden light flooded the alleyway. It seemed like the never-ending maze did have an end, and Aidan had found it. "Kendall… we made it." Kendall didn't stir at the sound of his voice. "Kendall… wake up now. I know you're tired, but we're almost there." Still, Kendall didn't budge or show any signs that she had heard him. "Kendall!" he yelled, and she still showed no signs of consciousness.

Aidan broke out into a run. "HELP!" he screamed. "HELP US PLEASE!" He didn't know where he and Kendall were, but there was cars lined along the streets and soon, he heard approaching voices. "I NEED HELP OVER HERE!"


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: Nope, don't own All My Children or the characters used in this story.**

**Sorry this took so long, guys. I know I always make excuses, but I had midterms and actually had to study in order to pass them. And now, again… I am sick. So I hope to get the next chapter up within the next two weeks, but I won't promise anything since my immune system likes to be crappy.**

**Thanks to Leiyla, IntotheNight, ChicBball15, Texas Lady, Liz213Mast and IloveMyAnimals. I really appreciate your kind words, especially since I had such a hard time getting that last chapter uploaded correctly. Thanks for your patience!**

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* * *

**

Blood just seemed to be everywhere. No matter how much pressure he put on the wound, Zach Slater could feel the blood seep through his clothes and through the clothes of the gunshot victim. The bullet had hit her straight in the chest and though he didn't want to admit it, this woman had no hope of living.

Julia Santos had walked into the room just before Garrett had accidentally fired his gun. While it certainly hadn't been planned on either one of their parts, Julia had been shot. The one woman Garrett wanted dead all along, the one woman Zach had done everything and anything to protect for the sake of the Santos', the one woman who had only just begun to live. Zach whispered calming words to her as she sputtered and gasped for breath. Eyes rolling with fear, Zach's words seemed to aid her very little. Her body convulsed several times as the blood continued to seep from her wound. Julia shuddered one last time, and Zach knew without even checking for a pulse, that Julia Santos was dead.

And before it had even started, it was over. Zach stood from where he had been kneeling and surveyed the scene. A blonde woman, who had seemed to accompany Julia, held a gun to Garrett's head. Garrett was lying on the floor, with a grim expression on his face. Tad, like Zach, still had his hands tied behind his back and was standing above Garrett.

"She's gone," Zach gravely announced.

"The cops are on their way," the blonde said. Apparently, Tad knew the woman and the woman knew Garrett. Zach was too tired to ask about technicalities, and frankly, he did not care. There was only one thing left that he cared about and that was Kendall. If there was such a thing as luck, Kendall was at a hospital and delivering her baby, but he wasn't so sure that was the case. Kendall and Aidan could both be dead and there was no denying that fact.

For the second time that night, the door slammed open. This time though, no one was shot and the police charged into the room. Zach recognized Derek Frye and immediately stumbled toward him. His hands were still tied, but he had to know without delay if the police had heard from Kendall.

It took a moment to get Derek's attention, but Zach would not tolerate being ignored. "Derek. Have you heard from my wife… or Aidan Devane?"

"Mr. Slater, let's get you out of these ropes before—"

"No. I need to know now. Talk while you untie me if you have to. I just want to know if my wife is okay."

"We got a call from an ambulance just a short time earlier. Kendall delivered the baby, or well… Aidan did. The details were vague, but something went wrong." Derek slipped the ropes from around Zach's wrists and before Zach could utter a word of thanks, he was already out the door.

* * *

Dr. Jamie Martin was not having a good day. He had already lost two patients and for the life of him, couldn't figure out what had gone wrong. When he had first started to work in the hospital, it was almost as though he was a miracle worker. No one succumbed to death on his watch and he couldn't help but feel as though it had all been due to his knowledge and natural ability. Recently though, it seemed like his good luck had run out. The two patients that had passed today weren't the only ones that had died recently. There had been several more. Being a doctor just wasn't easy any longer.

The sudden wail of an ambulance siren seemed to awaken Jamie. He approached the double doors and was almost run over as paramedics charged through the doors. A woman with curly hair lay on one of the stretchers brought in and along with her were two others. Aidan Devane (who appeared to be shirtless for some reason) and a crying infant accompanied the curly haired woman. It took him a moment, but he realized that the curly haired woman was Kendall Hart-Slater. Common sense was not something Jamie used too often, but he put two and two together and figured that the crying infant belonged to the once pregnant Kendall.

Kendall was unconscious and he could see the medics had already hooked her up to an IV. Aidan, who appeared to be just fine, jogged along Kendall's stretcher and held her hand as the medics rolled her along. The infant, who was screaming shrilly, was in a plastic incubator that was being wheeled by another EMT.

"Okay, what do we have here?"

"Preemie baby girl. No apparent complications, blood pressure and heart rate strong and healthy."

"What about the mother?" Jamie asked.

"Not as good as the infant. She was hemorrhaging when we got her and had already slipped into unconsciousness due to shock. We've started an IV and have wrapped her in blankets. Her blood pressure has just started to rise, but she hasn't regained consciousness yet."

"Wait a second here. Isn't there someone else?" The EMT and Jaime paused and looked at Aidan, surprised by his sudden outburst.

"Oh, right," the EMT continued. "Mr. Devane seems—"

"No," Aidan interrupted. "Is there another doctor we can use?"

Jamie and the EMT were both stunned. The other EMT, who had been transporting Jayden in the incubator, rolled her eyes and surged forward, onward to the nursery. She couldn't be bothered to wait around while these men discussed who could give this woman the best care. While this particular EMT knew that Jamie Martin was no doctor and shouldn't be treating anyone, she knew that this baby needed to be in the nursery as soon as possible.

"Do you have a problem with Dr. Martin?" the EMT asked.

"Actually, I do. I'd prefer if Joe Martin were around and could care to Kendall. I'm sorry Jamie, but I don't think this is the case for you."

Thankfully, as soon as Aidan had finished speaking, Dr. Joe Martin swooped into the area. Without question or debate, he had the EMT wheel Kendall toward a room and asked the EMT to repeat her status.

Jamie Martin, deeply hurt and confused, left the hospital. After that moment in time, he questioned his childhood wishes to become a doctor and instead became a mechanic. It wasn't something he had always aspired to be, but he had a knack for fixing cars and really, what was wrong with being a mechanic in the first place? Jamie knew he had no place in a hospital and was ever so grateful for that moment.

But, this story is not about Jamie Martin and his abilities (or lack thereof), this story is about Kendall Hart-Slater, Zach Slater, little Jayden Leigh and the whole mess Garrett Williams forced them into.

* * *

When Zach arrived at the hospital, the police car had barely stopped moving before he jumped out and ran through the hospital's double doors. The emergency room was oddly empty and the silence sent a chill through Zach's body. Without haste, he ran to the front desk. All the nurses at the desk stopped what they were doing immediately and stared him up and down.

"Sir, are you okay?"

In his rush he had forgotten that not only was he covered in blood, he was unshaven and in a severe need of a shower. But his cleanliness was not his main concern at that moment. All he needed to know was if Kendall and the baby were both okay.

"A woman came in a little bit ago? Kend—"

"Zach!"

Swirling around, Zach was greeted with the sight of Aidan Devane. He had a hospital gown wrapped around his upper torso, but Zach paid no mind. "Is she—?"

"She… she lost a lot of blood. I just, I thought everything had gone okay when she delivered. I'm not doctor, but the baby was fine and Kendall was speaking and smiling, and then… she lost consciousness." After a moment, Aidan took in the look of Zach's clothing and said, "What happened back there? Was everyone all right? What happened to your clothing?"

"Tad and I worked something out. Julia Santos showed up and helped out, but… Garrett—"

"Garrett Williams was The Dragon?"

"Yeah. Julia Santos, well… she didn't make it, Aidan. Garrett shot her and there was nothing anyone could do." Zach paused and gave Aidan a moment to take the harsh news in. It might have been insensitive to Julia and her death, but Zach needed more answers.

"How long have they been working on Kendall? How long since you two arrived?" Zach tried to keep his voice steady and calm, but even he couldn't help but sound desperate for more news on his wife. He looked around, trying to find some sort of clue, but both trauma rooms had curtains drawn and doors shut tight.

"I don't know. They wouldn't let me go with her and no one has told me anything. All they gave me was this stupid hospital gown to wrap around myself."

"What about the baby? How is…?"

"**She's** fine. A little tiny, but the EMTs were sure she'd be fine. They won't tell me anything about her either… something about confidentiality." Aidan threw up his hands, ignoring how the hospital gown opened up, and said, "Since when has Pine Valley Hospital been private?!"

The double doors that led to the first trauma room suddenly flew open, banging loudly against the outside wall. Dr. Joe Martin's white coat surely wasn't white any longer. It was splattered with so much blood; that the whiteness was barely there. Zach and Aidan surged forward to meet the doctor. They both couldn't seem to form words and instead just waited for Joe to start speaking.

"Kendall lost a lot of blood, which caused her to go into shock. Aidan did the best he could with what he had, but because her blood pressure was so low for such a long amount of time, we came severely close to losing her. We've transfused blood and have stopped the hemorrhaging, but she's not out of the woods yet. Her blood pressure is still on low and she's not conscious."

"Dr. Martin, just be as honest as you can," Zach said. "Will Kendall come out of this alive?"

"With proper observation, she should be fine. We'll do everything we can for your wife, Mr. Slater. If anything else does occur, and bleeding starts up once again, we'd possibly have to perform a hysterectomy. It does not appear that bleeding will start up again, but there is a chance."

Zach couldn't help but feel breathless, totally and utterly exhausted at the fact of nearly losing the woman he loved and the baby he was growing to love every day. Kendall was all right; she was going to be absolutely okay. And Greenlee's baby, the one Kendall had carried for eight months was fine just as well. Although Zach knew Kendall wasn't out of the woods yet, he knew she was a fighter and would fight with everything she had to get well again.

"May I go and sit with her?" Zach asked.

"Surely you'd like a shower first, Mr. Slater?"

Zach looked down at his blood sodden clothes. He nodded at Joe and walked with the man as he led him to a place in which he could get rid of his clothing and be supplied with fresh ones. As Zach walked off, Aidan nodded in his direction and sat down in a nearby chair.

* * *

Zach showered quite briefly, before dressing in some clothes the hospital offered and making his way to Kendall's room. He had asked Aidan to call Erica and the rest of Kendall's family, but no one had arrived yet.

He entered the room as quietly as he could, almost believing he might wake Kendall if he was too loud upon entering. Walking to the hospital bed, he immediately noticed how pale Kendall's skin appeared. While she was not dark normally, her skin was much paler and gray looking. Zach would have given anything in the world to see her open her vibrant eyes and smile, laughing at his apparent worry. Instead, she remained lying there, unmoving and white as a sheet. Taking her hand in his, he gripped it, willing to hold on to any piece of her.

He also noticed how different her mid-section looked compared to when he had seen her last. Her belly, once swollen nearly taking over her body completely, was much more flat. It wasn't completely flat, for it never is hours after birth, but the difference was incredible. Unfortunately, Kendall's pregnant belly wasn't the only thing Zach remembered from their last time together before now. As if it had only happened seconds before, he could clearly see her petrified face; eyes wide with fear, body shaking with cold. Pressed hard against her temple, he could see the shining gun that had been there, ready to release the bullets that had been contained within. He could remember her yelp as he was knocked out, but after that, he couldn't remember anything. Zach hadn't been there when she had gone into labor, he hadn't been there when she had been carried through a foreign alleyway, he hadn't been there when Greenlee's baby was born into the world, and he certainly hadn't been there to stop the bleeding. Zach had left her just when she had needed him the most, after promising to never put her in such a situation.

"Kendall," he whispered. "I'm so… sorry." He searched her face for any signs of movement. When he found none, tears seeped from his eyes and he laid his head on her shrunken stomach. Sobbing into her hospital gown, he could only find fault within himself for breaking his promises. No matter the saying, promises were not meant to be broken. In his mind, no one was at blame except for him.


	9. Chapter 9

A/N: I am so terribly sorry this is so late. Writer's block is never fun (for you and me both!) and I'm incredibly sorry. Hopefully updates will be more frequent as I finish this up. There are two chapters left, so I want to get those posted for you guys! Thanks for the constant support!

Special thanks to IntotheNight, Leiyla, andrea, IloveMyAnimals, ChicBball15, and Liz213Mast. I hope you haven't given up on this story because your reviews are what keep me going. Thank you so much!

A special thanks to tkzslove, for the PM asking about this story. It kicked my butt into gear and I was able to work out some more details in my head for this story.

* * *

Erica Kane was not a happy woman. For one, her daughter had insisted upon leaving Pine Valley to protect herself from Zach Slater's enemies **with** Zach Slater. Her daughter was also carrying Zach Slater's child, or well… she had been. When Erica received the call about Kendall, she hadn't known the specific details. But after shower, finding fresh clothes, putting on two pounds of makeup, and styling her hair for an hour, Erica arrived at the hospital with Jack in tow. Aidan Devane, another who seemed to have fallen into the entire Zach Slater mess, greeted her upon her delayed arrival. Simone, Tad, Di, and of all surprises, Ryan, were there when she arrived. Of course Zach and Kendall were in the hospital too, along with Erica's new grandchild, but they weren't the ones who greeted her.

What she learned when she arrived was shocking. Her daughter kidnapped and held for hours before finally being released? Her daughter giving birth in an alleyway? Her granddaughter's first blanket a sweaty undershirt? The situation was filled with lunacy. How could all of this have happened? There was one person Erica could blame, and that person was Kendall's husband. If it hadn't been for him, Kendall would have never experienced such traumatizing situations. Her mind didn't skip to Garrett Williams, the man now held in police custody. Erica Kane could never detach certain situations from Zach, and would never try to.

"Where is my daughter? I want to see her immediately!"

"Zach is—" Aidan tried to say.

"I don't want to hear that man's name, so please don't say it, Aidan!" Her eyes filled with tears at the unfairness of it all. Kendall was her daughter for crying out loud, and she wanted to see her!

"Well," Aidan tried again. "Jayden Leigh is—" But again, he was interrupted.

"Who in the world is Jayden Leigh? And who in the world came up with such a nam—"

"Jayden is your granddaughter, Erica. And as for who came up with such a name, well Kendall did. They were her last words before she…" he swallowed, unable to speak. "Excuse me, but **someone** should go sit with the baby." He walked off, angry with everyone and everything. And at that moment, he couldn't take any bit of Erica Kane.

A brief period of silence followed before Erica marched right after Aidan, determined to see her grandchild. Jack followed cautiously, leaving everyone else to remain in the plastic chairs, uncomfortable for more news.

"I can't believe she told you." Simone said out of the blue. "I thought only a few people would ever find out. I mean, I thought you would be the **last** person to find out about the baby and Greenlee."

Ryan frowned, but figured it would be best to leave his mouth shut. He had learned by now that keeping one's mouth shut around Simone was far more useful than it appeared to be.

"Just when you think that you're the only one left to trust. Just when you think you're as close as possible, it's just not a secret anymore. How could Kendall tell you about the baby when she swore it was the last thing she would ever do? How could she just go against Greenlee's wishes like that?" Simone paused briefly and then looked him straight in the eye. "Ryan, why aren't **you** with your baby right now?"

It took a moment, but recognition spread across Ryan's face like wildfire. He hadn't had a clue. Kendall's baby was his? His and Greenlee's child? How could have Kendall… no! How could Greenlee have kept that a secret from him? Ryan stood up abruptly, letting all feelings of any kind wash from his body. Simone got a glance at his face and gasped loudly. She covered her mouth with her hand and shakily whispered, "You didn't know. Oh, God. You didn't know!"

Ryan couldn't bear to hear another word. Jaw clenching, he took off and left Simone sitting there trembling over what she had done.

* * *

Kendall Hart Slater's eyes felt like they weighed two tons. Even when she tried to lift them, her attempts were futile. At most, she got a flicker of light and then more frustration. She didn't even try to lift her arms or legs, for if her eyelids felt as heavy as they did, she didn't want to think what her legs and arms might feel like. Her head swam and it was hard to concentrate on any one thing. There was a steady beeping and a steady fluttering that made her nearly sure that she wasn't dead. But if she could open her eyes, just even a little, she would be able to confirm that.

There, that was better. Even though her eyes were barely open, she could see enough. She could see the IV hooked into her wrist; it's plastic tubing snaking up to somewhere in oblivion. The room was dark, so she assumed it was still night out, but she couldn't be sure.

Suddenly, her body jerked. _Zach!_ she thought. Chest heaving, she tried to maneuver herself up, but wasn't able to. But she knew she had to get to Zach. What if Aidan hadn't kept his promise and Zach was still stuck with The Dragon? What if he was dead? What if—

"_Kendall?"_

She couldn't stop the tears that gave way. Her lips trembled as the tears tracked down her ashen cheeks. Of what little she could see of her hospital room, blurred together. But it didn't matter. She didn't have to see him to know he was there. Zach Slater, her husband, stood before her. She didn't know how she hadn't noticed his hand wrapped around hers, but she didn't care. Smiling as wide as she could, she tried to outstretch her arms, but he moved toward her too quickly. Zach gingerly clutched Kendall to his chest. They were both crying in relief, too full of emotion to even speak. Zach smoothed down her hair, inhaling her scent as he did so. He didn't care if her hair smelt of an unknown shampoo the hospital used, he didn't care that her tears were seeping into his shirt, he didn't care about anything but holding her.

"I love you, Zach. I love you so much."

"_I love you,"_ he whispered, voice husky from emotion_. "It seems like I've loved you forever."_ He could feel her smile against his chest. Kendall tried to speak, but he interrupted her. Laying her back onto the hospital bed, her curly hair fanned out behind her, he said, _"Shh. Rest now. You've certainly earned your sleep."_

"Promise you'll stay," she muttered faintly, gripping his hand tightly. She made room for him on the narrow hospital bed, but it wasn't something they hadn't dealt with before.

He climbed into the bed with her, cautiously avoiding all the wires connected to his wife. Kendall turned to her side and he followed, spooning against her back. He tucked her hands in his, holding onto them with a certain strength. _"I promise,"_ he whispered.

And Kendall slept, unaware of just how unrealistic her dreams were.

* * *

Two days passed before Kendall woke from her sleep. Her sleep was full of dreams that felt as realistic as anything, but were never true. Zach had never confessed his love for her and while she may have confessed her love for Zach, no one heard such confessions. Zach had never climbed into her hospital bed, cautious of the tubes and wires connected to her body. Zach had never promised not to leave her, for he was gone, never in her hospital room. He hadn't left her of course. He was the one who supervised her and Jayden's medical decisions, few that there actually were. Chaste glances through her hospital room window were all he would allow himself. Hurting Kendall was not something he could bear to do one more time in his life. He never wanted to hurt her again.

Kendall certainly was not at a loss for company. Countless individuals visited her. Aidan, Erica, Jack, Reggie, Lily, and Simone. Even Ryan dropped in for a visit and though everyone should have asked why, no one did. The truth was, Ryan was biding his time. He had called a lawyer immediately after Simone's outburst and was only waiting until Kendall awoke to confront her. He shuddered at the thought of Zach touching his own child, but continued to wait until Kendall was conscious.

When Kendall did finally make her way into reality, she still felt completely drained. She didn't realize that she had been sleeping for two days. In her mind, she had just gone to bed in her tiny condo with Zach beside her. And now she had to get up and feed Jayden because she could hear her crying; Jayden was hungry.

Kendall's eyes snapped open, but she couldn't hear Jayden crying any longer. There was complete silence and she couldn't possibly imagine where she was. Immediately, she spotted Aidan by her bedside, his head resting in his hands.

"Aidan?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper. "What are you doing here?" Eyebrows furrowed, she continued to look at him in confusion.

"Kendall! You're awake!"

"Yeah, I'm awake. I was awake like two hours ag—" She stopped abruptly, terror etching itself into her features. "Aidan, where are we?"

"We're in the hospital, Kendall," he said gently. "Do you remember what happened?"

Kendall wracked her mind, but could only think of falling asleep next to Zach. Why was she in the hospital again? _Unless_, she thought, _unless I never left!_ "Oh God. It never happened!"

"What never happened?"

"Where's Zach, Aidan? Where is he?"

"Don't worry, Kendall. The whole Dragon thing is over. Zach is fine."

Kendall lay back against her pillows, seemingly satisfied with Aidan's words. Though she was disappointed with what her dreams had told her and had made so real, she was just relieved to find out that Zach was fine.

And then frantic worry etched itself into her words again. "And the baby? How is she?"

"Jayden is doing really well, Kendall," he said. "I've been up in the NICU a lot and have talked to the doctors. She took a bottle right away and even though she's tiny… about four pounds five ounces, she's strong. She's still in an incubator, but once she gains more weight, she'll be moved. After the incubator is gone, they'll move her to a normal nursery and it may be a while before she gets to go home with you, but she's so healthy and beautiful." He paused and smiled brightly. "She's got the bluest eyes, Kendall; blue eyes with this incredible mop of brown hair."

Kendall weakly smiled at this news and rested her head back against her soft pillows. She cleared her throat softly before asking, "How long have I been out?"

"A couple days." Aidan paused and then looked her in the eye once again. "Listen, Kendall. I'm so sorry. If it hadn't been for me – "

"If it hadn't been for you, I would have given birth while held captive. Aidan, you don't need to apologize. I may have been out of it for almost our entire escape, but I clearly recall you carrying me, running with me, taking your own shirt off for Jayden, and I clearly remember you saving my life. Aidan, without you… I don't know what would have happened." She placed a hand in his and weakly squeezed it. He shot her a nervous smile in return and instantly she knew something was not right. "There's something you're not telling me, Aidan."

"Things didn't go one hundred percent smoothly when Zach and Tad escaped from the Dragon. Someone was shot… and killed."

"Who was it?" Kendall whispered.

Aidan stood up and gently said, "Julia." Abruptly, he made his way to the door. "I'm gonna go get Dr. Joe, okay? I'm sure he'll want to have a good look at you to make sure everything is fine. And I'll let everyone know that you're awake… they'll be excited."

"I'm sure they will," she whispered. But Aidan was already gone and no one heard her words. She was truly sorry for Julia's death. Yes, she had never gotten along with Julia, but Kendall was still sorry the entire thing had to end the way it had.

Letting everything sink in, Kendall continued to lie back on her pillows. Zach was alive, Jayden was alive, and she was alive. For the moment, it was all she could be grateful for.

Suddenly though, everything was not okay. Julia was dead. Zach had spent months upon months trying to protect her. He had done everything in his power to ensure her safety for Maria. And his best efforts hadn't been enough. _He must be devastated_, Kendall thought. And she knew he was beating himself up, knew it without a doubt in her mind.

"I have to go to him," she said. And yet, as she looked at the wires and tubes hooking her to so many different places, Kendall knew she wasn't going anywhere anytime soon. But, nothing could stop Kendall when she really wanted something. She wanted to see Greenlee's baby and she was going to. She wanted to see Zach and though that task might be a bit harder to complete than the latter, she was going to see Zach. Patience was not something Kendall had been graced with at birth, but she patiently waited for Dr. Joe to enter her room. As she waited, she formed a plan.


	10. Chapter 10

A/N: I'm sincerely sorry. I don't have a huge excuse on why this story hasn't been updated in such a long time, but I do have a slight one. Way back when, my computer crashed and a lot of the stuff I had on it was deleted. Along with the stuff that was deleted were a lot of my fanfics. This chapter was completed almost a year ago, but was erased along with a lot of other junk I had on my Mac and afterwards, I just couldn't bring myself to re-write the thing and try to remember everything exactly as I had written it. So excuse the HUGE delay and I apologize for the long, long wait. I hope this chapter makes up for the delay and everyone is satisfied.

**There's one more brief, brief chapter after this…. a sort of epilogue if you will. Thank you a ton for all of you who have followed this story. It certainly was the longest winter, eh?**

* * *

The first thing Dr. Joe allowed Kendall to do was go visit Jayden. Her body was still weak, for she had lost a lot of blood, but with a wheelchair and Reggie pushing her along, Kendall was on her way to see Greenlee's baby for the first time.

"Reggie, you know this wheelchair isn't really necessary, right?"

"Yeah, tell that to your doctor who threatened my life if I let you walk to the nursery," Reggie joked. "We all know how much you hate to be pushed around, but it's not forever."

"Yeah, you're right," she said as they exited the elevator. "There are only so many times in a girl's life where everyone is at her beck and call."

Reggie laughed and continued to wheel her to the NICU. Once he got her there, he would not be staying. For many good reasons, many people were not allowed to enter the NICU. Immediate family was allowed inside, but only a few at a time were permitted.

"Okay, this is where our journey ends, Kendall. I'll wait out here for when you're ready to go back, alright?"

"Yeah, Reggie. And thanks," she said as a nurse led her off to a prep room. Kendall had to dress in special clothes in order to enter the NICU and the nurse had to make sure everything that might be harmful to every baby and not just Jayden, was removed.

After Kendall received the okay to go on into the nursery, the nurse wheeled her inside. At once, a horrible sight greeted Kendall. Babies smaller than she had ever seen were lying in incubators and covered in what seemed like endless tubes. Some babies were bandaged, while others were hooked onto respirators, which breathed for them. Instantly, Kendall silently thanked whoever it was who had controlled the twist of fate. Jayden had been born premature, but according to Aidan, she was more than okay.

And, as she approached an incubator that held a slightly larger child than the ones she had seen, she realized Aidan hadn't been lying. Before she came close to Jayden, she could already tell the difference. There was no respirator, nor were there endless amounts of tubes connected to her body. A large sign, decorated with many colors was attached to one side of the incubator, spelling out Jayden Slater across. No doubt Lily or Reggie had been responsible for such a sign because Erica had not been too discreet in her disliking of such a name. In fact, Erica had even tried to convince Kendall to change the name, but she had been firm. Jayden Leigh was a tribute to Greenlee and if Erica couldn't see that, well… who was Kendall to worry about it.

"And here she is. You're in time for her next feeding too, Mrs. Slater."

Tears came to her eyes as she looked at Greenlee's baby. How could something so small be so strong? How could someone who had only been alive for three days be so full of life? It wasn't fair that Greenlee wasn't here to see her child, but Kendall knew in her heart that Greenlee was close by in her own way. Amazed with the tiny miracle, Kendall reached inside the incubator to rub Jayden's petite wrist. Instantly, Jayden's clenched fist rose in the air and settled near Kendall's large palm. The small fist unclenched for a moment before gripping Kendall's index finger strongly. A tear streaked down Kendall's cheek and for a moment, all Kendall could do was stare at this tiny wonder.

Amazed as she was, Kendall knew that she had to act fast. The nurse had gone to get a bottle for Jayden and Kendall didn't know how long something like that would take. "Jayden, I promise I'll be back as soon as I can. And when I come back, Zach will be with me. So don't you worry. Soon, baby, soon it'll be almost like it should. Mommy is watching, and with her help, I'll be back in no time." Slowly, she unwrapped her hand from Jayden's clenched fist and backed away with her wheelchair.

Shakily and with much strength, Kendall rose to her feet. She quickly exited the NICU and entered the NICU prep room. Kendall had stashed clothes here earlier. Though Erica wasn't good for much, she was at least good for certain things; certain things such as clothing. Kendall didn't even want to know where Erica had acquired such clothing; all that mattered was finding Zach. As she slipped on her fresh clothes, she ignored a bout of dizziness and quickly made her way down the hallway. If she found Zach, certainly everything would be normal. Certainly, everything that could go back into its rightful place would.

* * *

Kendall didn't quite know just how she made her way out of the huge hospital. It seemed like every nurse and doctor was giving her strange looks and in Kendall's mind, they knew exactly what she was up to. She also never ran into anyone she knew, which was another miracle for Kendall knew a vast amount of people in the town of Pine Valley; and most of them were visiting her! But, although she felt as if the staff was suspicious, she was never stopped and eventually she made it to an exit.

Feeling so accomplished at the thought of duping everyone, Kendall didn't realize that she had never even thought past her hospital escape plan. Just realizing now, at the entrance of the hospital, that she would actually have to find Zach was a bit daunting. But nothing could stop Kendall, not when she had already come so far. Standing up tall, she set forward for her first stop.

So focused on getting to where she wanted to go, she didn't notice Ryan Lavery enter the hospital. He had just brushed past her, but was so intent on getting to where he wanted to go as well, that he didn't notice Kendall and Kendall hardly was aware of him. A policeman followed Ryan, along with Ryan's lawyer. As Kendall went to find Zach, Ryan went inside the hospital to claim his daughter.

* * *

Amazingly, it didn't take too long for Kendall to find Zach. She had gone to the condos first with no luck, but immediately after, she checked the casinos and her search ended. Quickly entering an elevator and walking down a hallway was all that was left to being reunited with the man of her dreams. The elevator ride seemed to take forever and the hall seemed even longer than usual. With her head spinning and her heart pounding, it took all her might not to faint right on spot. But with her determination urging her on, she forgot about her physical well being and continued on what seemed like the longest journey of all.

Zach's office doors were open when Kendall finally got to his office. She peeked in and could see Zach at his desk, working on some papers. Slowly, she treaded in, barely making a sound. Zach didn't look up from his work, but only rubbed his eyes as he continued to look down.

"I had the strangest dream," Kendall started softly. Zach's head whipped up and he stared at her. He blinked a few times, most certainly shocked beyond belief in seeing her. Kendall cleared her throat and continued on, louder this time. "I had a dream that I gave birth to a baby girl in an alleyway. And when I woke up, the person who I wanted to be there the most wasn't. Can you even believe such a thing?" She smiled tentatively at him. "Thank God it was only a dream, right?"

Zach didn't return Kendall's smile, making her smile slightly falter. He stood and for a moment he didn't seem to know what to do. And then, he spoke. "You should sit down." Surprised, Kendall allowed herself to be led to the nearby couch, very conscious of the fact that he did not touch her skin. "What are you doing here?"

"I came to see you." She looked at his expression and could immediately see that things were not going to go as she had planned them out. Maybe her imagination had run away with her, but she hadn't pictured things working out like this. He was just so cold, something she had hardly been expecting. After all her hard work in escaping the hospital, after leaving Jayden, after everything she had done to get here, after everything they had been through together and this was the way things were going to be. All Kendall wanted to do was throw her hands up and cry. She wanted to shrink back to the hospital and curl up in a bed. But instead, a wall was put up. She couldn't take putting her heart out on the line and it being torn to shreds, she just wasn't strong enough yet. "I heard about Julia. How'd it happen?"

"She was in the wrong place at the wrong time, simple as that." Zach rose from the couch and walked to his desk. He idly played with some papers before turning to her once more. "You're really okay? And the baby, she's okay too?"

"We'll be fine in no time. Actually, I should probably head back. I want to be around for Jayden's next feeding."

"Jayden?"

"Yeah, I may have been nearly dead when I decided on the name but—"

"Don't say that," he interrupted. "Please don't say that."

"Well it's true, Zach!" And she stood up and approached him. "I nearly died! Me and Jayden almost didn't make it – "

"All because of me." He turned his back to her and softly said, "I can't bear knowing you were almost—"

"**Almost** dead isn't dead, Zach. I'm still very much alive, thank you. Greenlee's child is alive and I'm alive, and everything is just picture perfect. Now I can go on living the life I've always wanted to live." She couldn't stop the tears that overflowed as her harsh words ripped into him. Wiping away the tears with one hand, she slowly made her way to the half open door. As she gripped the doorknob, she paused for a moment. "We were supposed to do this together. After Greenlee died, I needed you more than ever and you were there but suddenly, just when I need you the most, you shut down on me?'

Zach turned to face her with a pained expression on his face. Hoarsely, he said, "I can't help you and I was a fool for thinking I could all along."

Angrily she yelled, "You're a fool for thinking you can't!" She released the doorknob and rushed to where he was standing and hit him. She struck him against his chest, with all the strength she could. When he took the blow without a word or movement, Kendall did it again and again. "You jerk! Big, fucking, lying, no good, son of a…" Finally, after he had made no move and had remained silent, she stopped. Panting for breath, she almost didn't hear him when he finally spoke.

"I'm sorry, but I just can't do anything for you anymore. I'll support you and the baby financially, but I can't be around you."

She launched back readily with her own response and immediately said, "I could call you an asshole but what good would that do? Just know that I don't want your money. I wanted… I want you." She took a step back, but kept her eyes fixed on his before continuing. "All that time we spent together after Greenlee died made me realize how I really felt about you. When I was fat and lonely, you made it all disappear. I could sit and talk to you for hours about things I had never revealed to anyone. You and Jayden became my world and without you… that world just isn't complete." She paused, gathering courage for what she was about to say before actually spitting it out. "When I first came here, I was going to tell you something that I thought you wanted to hear, but you shunned me. And, as you might have noticed, I was shocked and then sad, but those two feelings quickly morphed into anger. And now that my anger has disappeared, I guess I'll let you in on a little secret. You… I love you. And don't you even being try to deny it because I know you love me too."

"I won't deny it," he softly said. "I do love you. I love your laugh and the way your temper can flare and then die down in an instant. I love your loyalty towards people who certainly don't deserve it. And most of all, I love your bravery. No body fights like you do and that's why this is so hard for me. You're not making this easy." Zach rubbed his eyes once more before continuing on. "I can't risk hurting either one of you again. I love you both too much."

"Then you're a coward," she whispered. Wiping away her tears, she stepped closer to him and before he knew it, she was kissing him with the remaining strength she had left. She wrapped her arms around him, trying to crush him to her but failed miserably. She felt weak in the knees, but wasn't sure if it was because she had just so recently given birth or because he made her feel this way. Her grip loosened as the kiss continued, slowly surrendering to the fact that she couldn't change his mind if it was already made up. But he only wrapped his arms around her and suddenly there was no distance left between them. She broke the kiss to whisper, "Zach" before she promptly fainted.

Immediately he carried her over to his couch and laid her down. He ran to the phone and dialed for assistance, cursing the amount of time it took for someone to answer. He wasn't even aware of what he barked into the phone, but was aware that help would soon be coming. It was only when he rushed back over to the couch and to Kendall that he noticed the blood trailing down her legs. And then he cursed once more and gripped her hand and waited.

* * *

Kendall felt groggy as hell when she awoke next. She felt tired and weak, but couldn't fight the feeling that it was rather important to open her eyes just about then. So, because Kendall wasn't one to give in or give up, she did just that. It wasn't the easiest thing she had ever done, but she was certainly greeted with a nice sight when her eyes finally did open.

Zach was sitting at her bedside and a wave a déjà vu hit her, but she knew she still wasn't pregnant. She hadn't jumped in a time machine that was for sure. She met his eyes briefly before whispering, "Zach?" He grimly smiled and clasped her hand into his. He was so warm and she smiled to herself and sighed contently. "I fainted, didn't I," she said and it wasn't a question.

"Yeah, you did. Scared me." He smiled again, but she knew something was wrong. His smile wasn't right and it seemed so out of place on his weary face.

There was a moment of silence before she couldn't take it any longer. "So what is it, Zach? What's wrong?"

Breaking her eye contact he remained silent and looked down at the floor. She knew he was at a loss for words, but couldn't seem to say anything either.

"Something happened, Kendall. Jayden… she – "

"Oh God. Did something happen to her? I mean I saw her and she didn't have a respirator or anything and she did seem small but so **strong** compared to all the other babies up there and she was eating fine… Was it because of the delivery? Was she too cold for too long? Zach, tell me." Her eyes filled rapidly with tears as she thought of all the horrible possibilities that could have happened to Jayden.

"Kendall, listen to me. Nothing is wrong with Jayden. She's healthy and strong and beautiful. It's just…" and he shook his head in disbelief before continuing. "Ryan found out, Kendall. He got a lawyer and contacted the police and he wants her."

Immediately Kendall's fear turned into anger. Bright, strong, red anger. But that anger could only materialize into tears. "Well he can't have her, Zach! She's not his. He never wanted her and he doesn't deserve to experience and shape that precious life. She's mine. She's mine and Greenlee's baby. And she's your baby. The three of us did everything in our power to protect that little baby and Ryan doesn't deserve her," she sobbed.

"I know, Kendall. I know." He stood from where he was sitting and reached for her. She gripped him as tightly as she could and cried angrily. Her angry sobs touched his heart and he wanted nothing more than to never hear her cry in such a way again. Stroking her hair, he held her and let her cry. Eventually though, she pushed back and he was surprised to see that her eyes were nearly dry. There was that fire in her eyes. The fire he couldn't help but adore and fear at the same time.

"I can do this. Ryan will never touch that little girl. I can get lawyers and police officers too. I can do this."

"**We **can do this together, Kendall."

"But you said… in your office. You can't be with us. Does this just change your mind because you think I'm weak and need you to keep Jayden? I'm not weak, Zach. I love you, but I don't want you just because you think I'll fall apart without you."

"Believe me, Kendall, I know you won't fall apart without me. But when you fainted in my arms and I felt you almost slip away… when I saw the blood on your legs… I woke up. I've never wanted someone more than I want you."

"Well, if that's all it took," she joked and rolled her eyes. "What about when I was lying in bed before? I've been in this position before, Zach, and that never changed you mind."

"I want you. I want Jayden. And I want to fight for the family I almost lost. I love you. And I'll never stop saying it especially because it's taken me so long to say it in the first place." He kissed her softly and stroked her cheek.

"Oh, just a side note, I guess I'm fine then?" she asked against his mouth.

"Well, you shouldn't've been up in the first place, but yeah, Joe says you're okay. He just hopes your stubbornness doesn't kill you one of these days."

"Well, look what my stubbornness has got me. Now let's go kick Ryan's ass and bring Jayden home."

"I can't think of anything more I'd like to do," he said before kissing her again.


	11. Epilogue

A/N: So maybe this really was the longest winter! I honestly never intended for this story to take me as long as it has. I guess it was so hard to finish because I honestly lost interest in the show. I'll always love Kendall and Zach, but the writers made me frustrated to the point where I didn't even want to deal with their world. So this is the epilogue. Someone suggested I continue on with the court battle, but I'm truly exhausted with this story. This was always my intended ending though so I can't say I'm unhappy with this. I hope you all feel the same way. 

**Thanks a TON for all of you readers who have stuck with me through the long hiatuses. I truly appreciate your kind words and thoughts and suggestions. Without you, I probably would have never finished this. Really, your support is something I appreciate beyond words.**

Epilogue 

"Mommeeeee!"

Caramel curls adorned the young Jayden's head, her eyes, bluer than the sky on a good day, were currently filled with tears. Her tiny body, clad in fuzzy pajamas, writhed violently as she stood against the bars of her crib. Her rosy cheeks were wet with her shed tears while her scarlet lips were opened wide as she cried out for her mother.

Kendall opened the nursery door, pausing only to push her curls behind an ear. "Jayden, honey! What's the matter?"

Instead of answering, Jayden stretched out her short arms. "Want up," the two year old said. Kendall flipped on a light switch and made her way to the edge of the white crib where Jayden was waiting.

"You wanna come sleep with Mommy?" Jayden nodded violently, sniffing back the remnants of her tears. "Okay, well let's clean that face first, baby." Kendall reached for Jayden, scooping her up into her arms. She hit the light switch on her way out, watching Jayden's pink room fade into darkness. Jayden gave Kendall a wet kiss on the cheek as they made their way to a bathroom. "Wait with the kisses a sec will ya?" Kendall swiped Jayden's cheeks and eyes and finally her nose while the baby struggled to escape. "All done. Now I want my kisses!" With mock roughness she tickled Jayden's covered belly and kissed her dry cheeks.

"'gain! 'gain!"

"No, not now sweetie. You really should be sleeping and Mommy really shouldn't be letting you in bed with her as it is." Jayden just giggled again as Kendall continued to walk to her bedroom. Silently, Kendall held a finger up to her lips and quieted Jayden. "Daddy's sleeping, so we need to be quiet."

"Too late," a grumble came from the bed.

"Daddy awake!" Jayden screeched, nearly leaping from Kendall's arms in the process.

"Whoa there, kiddo." She placed Jayden at the bottom of the bed and watched with amusement as the toddler crawled up to Zach's face and kissed him sweetly.

Kendall thought to what was going on just a year earlier from this moment. The custody battle was just ending and her and Greenlee's secret had been aired for the entire town to view. Everyone knew virtually everything that had happened since the early days of Jayden's conception. Ryan battled furiously and with every bit of strength he had at the time, wanting his little girl with him at all costs. But it hadn't gone as easily for him as he first thought it would. Greenlee, the smart woman she had been, left clear instructions in her will regarding Jayden and who her parents should and would be. Even though Ryan was biologically Jayden's father, Greenlee made sure he was seen as nothing but a sperm donor. Even so, Ryan vehemently argued against Zach and his ability to father a child. Things got heated, but while all this was happening, Kendall and Zach were falling in love with Jayden. The child had no idea Ryan even existed and would continue to live that way until she was old enough to understand. The court ruled in Kendall and Zach's favor and Ryan was left with nothing. Some days Kendall felt sorry for him, but even on the sorriest of days, she never once considered letting him visit Jayden. Some memories just ran too deep for forgiveness or relenting to happen. Even Zach, who believed every child should know it's father, couldn't bring himself to subject Jayden to Ryan.

Zach broke Kendall's thoughts and whispered; "I thought we were trying something new this week? Jayden actually sleeps in her own crib, we sleep in our own bed… everyone actually gets sleep?"

As Kendall made her way into bed, she replied, "Yeah, well… she's got me wrapped around her little munchkin like fingers, what can I do?"

"Better bed! Better bed," Jayden said.

"She's got that right," Zach replied before tickling Jayden's tummy.

"Okay kids, it's time to sleep now." Kendal said with mock authority.

"Hey, who you calling kid?" Zach replied. Jayden plopped herself down in the middle of the two, idly playing with the large ring on Kendall's finger before closing her eyes. Zach kissed her curly head and then shared a brief kiss with Kendall. "I love you."

"Wuv you too, Daddy," Jayden said with eyes closed. Zach smiled before mouthing the words over Jayden's head to Kendall. Kendall mouthed the words, 'love you' back before cuddling against Jayden.

Before anyone was sleeping, a long wail disrupted the settled peace from yet another room of the house. Kendall sighed before laughing and saying, "It's all you this time." And Kendall and Jayden giggled as Zach went off to feed the newest member of the family.


End file.
